Hole-in-the-Wall Shrink (Uncollected Anthology: Alchemy Book 24)

By Annie Reed

The law of equivalent exchange. The bedrock of the practice of alchemy.

For the owner of a hole-in-the-wall bar, a little alchemy from an unexpected source turns out to be the perfect way to keep her business afloat. Enhance a few bottles of high-class booze for a few special customers, and all of a sudden they’re not just carrying on conversations with her, they’re confiding business secrets they wouldn’t let slip to anyone else.

Sure, alchemy comes with a cost—equivalent exchange, remember?—but she always thought she was willing to pay the price.

Right up until she serves that special booze to one of the old gods, a powerful businessman with a plan of his own.

“One of the best writers I’ve come across in years. Annie excels at whatever genre of fiction she chooses to write.” —Kristine Kathryn Rusch, award-winning editor and writer of The Retrieval Artist series

“The appearance of a new Annie Reed story is a treat. Try one and you’ll be hooked.” –David H. Hendrickson, award-winning author of “Death in the Serengeti

“Annie’s writing is magic, seriously.” –Robert J. McCarter, author of A Ghost’s Memoir series

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thunder Valley Press
• Release date: Apr 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005830380

Annie Reed

Award-winning author and editor Kristine Kathryn Rusch calls Annie Reed “one of the best writers I’ve come across in years.”Annie’s won recognition for her stellar writing across multiple genres. Her story “The Color of Guilt” originally published in Fiction River: Hidden in Crime, was selected as one of The Best Crime and Mystery Stories 2016. Her story “One Sun, No Waiting” was one of the first science fiction stories honored with a literary fellowship award by the Nevada Arts Foundation, and her novel PRETTY LITTLE HORSES was among the finalists in the Best First Private Eye Novel sponsored by St. Martin’s Press and the Private Eye Writers of America.A frequent contributor to the Fiction River anthologies and Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, Annie’s recent work includes the superhero origin novel FASTER, the near-future science fiction short novel IN DREAMS, and UNBROKEN FAMILIAR, a gritty urban fantasy mystery short novel. Annie’s also one of the founding members of the innovative Uncollected Anthology, a quarterly series of themed urban fantasy stories written by some of the best writers working today.Annie’s mystery novels include the Abby Maxon private investigator novels PRETTY LITTLE HORSES and PAPER BULLETS, the Jill Jordan mystery A DEATH IN CUMBERLAND, and the suspense novel SHADOW LIFE, written under the name Kris Sparks, as well as numerous other projects she can’t wait to get to. For more information about Annie, including news about upcoming bundles and publications, go to www.annie-reed.com.

Book preview

The law of equivalent exchange. The bedrock of the practice of alchemy.

For the owner of a hole-in-the-wall bar, a little alchemy from an unexpected source turns out to be the perfect way to keep her business afloat. Enhance a few bottles of high-class booze for a few special customers, and all of a sudden they’re not just carrying on conversations with her, they’re confiding business secrets they wouldn’t let slip to anyone else.

Sure, alchemy comes with a cost—equivalent exchange, remember?—but she always thought she was willing to pay the price.

Right up until she serves that special booze to one of the old gods, a powerful businessman with a plan of his own.

One of the best writers I’ve come across in years.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch

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Copyright Information

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Hole-in-the-Wall Shrink

Copyright © 2021 by Annie Reed

Published by Thunder Valley Press

Cover and Layout copyright © 2021 Thunder Valley Press

Cover design by Allyson Longueira

Uncollected Anthology logo art © Tanya Borozenets/Dreamstime.com

Uncollected Anthology logo design © Stephanie Writt

Cover art copyright © Alen_Rush/depositphotos.com

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

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Hole-in-the-Wall Shrink

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I don’t run my bar to make a lot of money.

That fact confounds some people. Like Eros. He’s one of my regulars.

And yeah, he’s that Eros. The God of