Death Stealer: Lark Morgan, #0

By J. C. McKenzie

I'm not sure what I expected when I showed up to my first crime scene—certainly not rainbows and donuts—but as a necromancer who mainly works to help the rich get richer, I hoped to find redemption. Instead, I discover a heartbreaking murder, two detectives with a grumpy-sunshine dynamic, and a stubborn soul who refuses to speak without her cat present.

 

If I'm going to prove myself as a valuable asset to the Victoria Police Department, and hopefully claw my mother out of medical hardship and the grip of her debilitating disease, I need to solve this mystery before I become the next victim.

 

 

Death Stealer is a short story prequel to the Lark Morgan trilogy and takes place six years before Death Maker, Book 1 of the trilogy.

 

This book contains explicit language, ghosts, spirits, souls, skeletons and bones, violence, blood magic, necromancy, and animal sacrifices (off-the-page as much as possible). This story is intended for mature readers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. C. McKenzie
• Release date: Oct 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9781990143304

Book preview

Death Stealer

Death Stealer

LARK MORGAN, PREQUEL

BOOK ZERO

J. C. MCKENZIE

J.C.M. Publications

Contents

Books by J. C. McKenzie

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Characters

Death Maker

About J. C. McKenzie

Acknowledgments

Books by J. C. McKenzie

The Lark Morgan Series

Death Stealer

Death Maker (forthcoming)

Death Raiser (forthcoming)

Death Taker (forthcoming)

Isle and Eyrie Series

Cormorant Run

Heir of the Eyrie

House of Moon and Stars

The Night House

House of Chaos

Crawford Investigations

Conspiracy of Ravens

Nevermore

Queen of Corvids

The Call of Corvids

From the Shadows

Into the Fire

Dark Legacy

Embrace the Flame

The Carus Series

Shift Happens

Beast Coast

Carpe Demon

Shift Work

Beast of All

Obsidian Flame

Dangerous Dreams

Dangerous Liaisons

Dangerous Decisions

That Old Black Magic

The Good Griffin

Standalones

Immortal Throne (with Harper A. Brooks)

Call of the Deep (The Shucker’s Booktique)

Stormbound (Be My Love)

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Death Stealer

COPYRIGHT © 2022 by J. C. McKenzie

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Cover Art: LSK Designs

Publishing History:

First JCM Publications Edition, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-990143-30-4 (ebook)

This book contains explicit language, ghosts, sprits, souls, skeletons and bones, violence, blood magic, necromancy, and animal sacrifices (off-the-page as much as possible).

This story is intended for mature readers.

To Tammy Payne,

For being her awesome self.

Life is not without payment, death is not without consequence.

~ The Book of Life

Chapter

One

The red and blue lights flashed over the crime scene while the cool spring air rustled the yellow tape blocking off the area. A rush of adrenaline left my arms shaky and my heart pumping faster. I needed control of my body before taking another step forward.

Pausing on the sidewalk, I took another deep breath in and surveyed the neighbourhood. The houses in this suburban area backed onto a fast-flowing river surrounded with grassy banks and tall evergreen trees. The win played with the tops of the spruce and pine trees while clouds covered the moon, casting the areas not directly under police floodlights in darkness.

A little calmer, I hefted the docile hen with soft brown feathers in my arms and ducked under the police tape. My leather pants and vest creaked with the movement, too new and not broken in. My friend Debbie assured me they’d become more supple over time, but I still felt like I was some sort of wannabe dominatrix. My shiny new attire and wide eyes would give me away as a newbie before I had a chance