Nic Ward Series

Sometimes even the good guys have to make a deal with a demon. I'm that demon.   When a fallen angel killed God, not all priests lost their faith. Some rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Like the ones behind Seed of Renewal—a charity on a mission to create a better world here on earth, since we can't count on heaven anymore.   Whatever they're doing, it's working. Crime is down. Kindness is up. Even someone as cynical as me has to admit they may be on to something.   I guess someone out there doesn't like that. Because priests from the charity keep turning up in the hospital, their minds wiped clean. These guys are great at handing out food and free hugs, but when it comes to fighting the kind of evil that's gunning for them, they're out of their depth. That's where I come in.   I'd be the first to admit we're hardly natural allies. There's no place for people like me in the future they're creating. The  law and I have a complicated relationship on a good day, and I'm not exactly the turn-the-other-cheek type. Oh, and that fallen angel? The one who killed God? Yeah, that was me.   But if they want to stay alive to make the world a better place, I'm the only chance they've got.

When human justice fails, the desperate call me.   You know things are bad when a fallen angel is one of the good guys. Only I'm not much more than human myself now. Not since I lost my magic in the war that defeated the big boss in Heaven for good.   I stay away from the supernatural these days. I've got enough regular old human wrongs to right without borrowing trouble I no longer have the firepower to handle. Besides, I paid my dues in the war, and have the scars to prove it. If anyone deserves a little peace and quiet, it's me.   That rule worked great until today. Now there's a beautiful woman on my doorstep with a demon problem. She's too innocent for the world she's stumbled into. She doesn't stand a chance on her own. But if I let her in, it's only a matter of time before this job brings me face to face with the consequences of what I did in the war—the secret I've worked so hard to leave behind.

Demons are bad. Politicians are worse.   The city's next would-be mayor is in bed with demons—literally. He's got big plans to renew the founder's demonic pacts and turn Jarvis back into the hub of glamor and decadence it used to be… by feeding the city's undesirables to the hungry maw of Hell.   Politics isn't my game, so where do I come in? Well, demons don't like to leave their wins up to chance. If he can't win the old-fashioned way, he'll do it by going after his opponent's son. I've been hired to protect the kid, which means I'm on babysitting duty until I find a way to shut this guy down.   The election is in a week. I've got that long to stop him before he becomes the next mayor and turns the city into an all-you-can-eat demon buffet. And I have to keep the kid safe while I do it. Oh, and did I mention my client has forbidden me from getting my hands dirty? He wants to win this thing fair and square or not at all. Good thing I'm no good at taking orders.

Say no to drugs… and yes to demons?   I thought I'd enjoy seeing the straitlaced Detective Sullivan brought down a peg or two. But now I just feel sorry for the guy. He's had to swallow some harsh truths lately—like that his old-fashioned law-and-order attitude doesn't cut it against demons. He's not taking it well. These days, he looks as worn out and used up as I feel. He doesn't even iron his slacks anymore, which may as well be a sign of the apocalypse.   Plus, he keeps knocking on my door with bogus tips about demonic activity. I've got enough on my plate as it is, and most of it I can't do with a cop looking over my shoulder.   When he warned me the cops behind a teen anti-drug program are actually demons in human skin, I rolled my eyes and sent him on his way. But it turns out he might not be crying wolf this time. Because some guy with a fancy suit and a government business card just walked into my office, wanting to hire me to shut Sullivan up—by any means necessary. And he's made it clear "just say no" isn't an option.

Cops may be annoying, but vampires just plain suck…   Ah, the ever-irritating Detective Sullivan—goody-two-shoes cop and perpetual thorn in my side. He's at my door again demanding answers about strange happenings in the city… what else is new? Only this time, he's not here to threaten me with prison. He needs my help.   Humans are turning up dead all across the city, with puncture wounds in their necks and no blood in their bodies. Even a committed skeptic like Sullivan can put two and two together. The city of Jarvis has itself a genuine vampire.   And when a vampire claims a city for his own, it's for keeps.   But no bloodsucker is going to make my city into his personal snack bar on my watch. All I need is for Sullivan to stay out from underfoot long enough to let me handle this my way.   When it comes to Sullivan, though, that may be too much to hope for...

Humanity finally has a hero who can stand up to Hell. It's my job to stop her. Guess that makes me the villain.   Ever since Heaven lost the war, the forces of Hell have treated my city as their playground. One human is finally pushing back. With the power of a saint's relic behind her, she's bringing light to Jarvis's dark streets, one dead demon at a time.   But not every demon is one of the bad guys. Some of us just want to live our lives in peace. And if I don't stand up for the ones who can't defend themselves… well, who else is going to care what happens to a bunch of monsters?   I wish I'd never asked. Because now none other than Vekaniel is sitting in my office, offering to join forces to protect the good demons of the city. Yep, that's right: the scary-powerful fallen angel. My former ally in the war against Heaven. The one I went up against a few months back, and barely came out alive.   She swears she's on the straight and narrow now. We'll see about that. But the fact is, I can't win this alone. I need help. The kind only a dangerous, devious, and maybe-reformed fallen angel can give.

Fun with Nic and Jane   I keep women at a distance for a reason. Jane most of all. She thinks my life in the shadows is exciting and glamorous. I know better. If I let her get too close, my world will eat her alive.   But when her ex gets himself into the kind of trouble I specialize in solving, she's got nowhere else to turn. What am I supposed to do? Watch her get herself killed trying to save the guy on her own?   I've got no choice but to let her into my office. Doesn't mean I'm letting her into my life. Because I've got a bad feeling this is no ordinary demon problem. This smells like Heaven's work to me… and considering the well-deserved grudge that place has against me, by my side is the last place anyone should be.

An angel has been murdered. The Inquisition is on the case.   Juliana Dietrich used to be a cop. That was before she uncovered corruption on the force… and found out how far her superiors were willing to go to shut her up.   She's got a new job now. One where her uncompromising devotion to the law is encouraged rather than punished. One that brings her face to face with the kind of darkness that would make most cops run away screaming. She's got bigger targets than human criminals these days. She protects humanity from creatures beyond this plane… by any means necessary.   Her title: Inquisitor.   She thinks she's seen everything. Until she gets a call from an old friend on the force. There's an angel lying murdered in a church.   Juliana didn't know angels could die. And this killer is only getting started.   This short story is 14,000 words long. It takes place before the events of Nothing Sacred, the first book in the Nic Ward series.

Criminal underworld meets literal underworld…   The mayor may think he runs things in Jarvis, but the rest of us know better. Vincent Dean's criminal empire controls the illicit trade that is the lifeblood of the city. And Ruby McGinniss, however adeptly she plays the part of his empty-headed trophy wife, controls Vincent Dean.   As someone who's made a career out of helping the little guy get justice, I'd happily watch their corrupt empire burn. But now they've made a demon mad, and I'm the only one in town with the know-how to save them. Which would be too bad for them—if they were the only ones in danger. The thing is, they've got a little girl whose only crime is being born to the wrong parents, and she's in Hell's crosshairs too.   Let an innocent child die, or help her parents keep on getting away with literal murder? Put it this way—it won't be the first time I've fought for the bad guys. And hey, at least Dean and McGinniss are the devils I know.   So long as they don't have any tricks up their sleeves.

Nic Ward is on the highway to Hell…   Beelzebub, lord of Hell, used to want me dead. Now he wants to hire me. The job: track down Lucifer, who's been MIA since the war in Heaven. There's one catch: with God dead, Lucifer is now the most powerful being in the universe… and he clearly doesn't want to be found.   I don't relish the thought of being the one to interrupt his vacation. But the money is good. The prospect of getting off Beelzebub's shit list is better. And the world's been a mess since the Last War—might be nice to have someone around who's capable of cleaning it up. With him on the case, maybe I could take a real vacation myself one of these days.   So my team and I are going on a road trip to track down Hell's most high-profile missing person. Just an ex-Inquisitor, a rogue priest, a hellhound the size of a small bear… and me, the fallen angel who drove a sword through God's heart.

God is dead. I killed him.   My name's Nic Ward. At least, that's what I'm going by these days. Once, Heaven and Hell alike knew me as Nicariel the Fallen. But it turns out killing the tyrant on the Divine Throne will earn you a bit of a reputation. So I'm hiding out in the human world, keeping to myself. I'd say I've more than earned a quiet retirement.   But without anyone keeping order up above, the demons in Hell are restless. And Heaven has its own problems, with power-hungry angels scheming to claim the Throne for themselves. It's easy for defenseless humans to get caught in the crossfire. And no one is interested in looking out for the little guy.   No one but me.   Guess my retirement won't be so quiet after all…   This omnibus edition contains the first three books of the Nic Ward noir urban fantasy series: Nothing Sacred, Broken Faith, and Crooked Idols.

Speak of the devil...   So here I am, trouncing an angel as usual at our weekly chess game, when I get the news: God is dead.   As the big guy's worst enemy, I should be celebrating, right? Only I had nothing to do with this. My days of rebellion are long over. These days, I'm more interested in living a simple life on Earth—and whoever did this just ruined that for me.   Now every demon in Hell is on my case. Lord Lucifer, this is our chance—we need to strike at Heaven while they're weak. Lord Lucifer, the humans are defenseless—we can burn their world to ash. As if I have time to lead a war when I have a date with myself this weekend to try out a new cookie recipe. And sure, burning the humans' cities might be fun, but then what would happen to all the nice restaurants?   Worst of all, the one friend I've got has no time for me anymore. He's back to his big-shot angelic duties in Heaven—duties that probably include preparing for war against Hell. So much for our weekly chess games.   Not that I care. The devil doesn't have friends.

Nic Ward wasn't always Hell's most infamous fallen angel. This is how his story began…   In Higher Justice, a guardian angel by the name of Nicariel makes a deal with a demon to bring a killer to justice.   In The Dizzy Fall, an Inquisitor is called in to investigate the murder of an angel.   And in Devil's Crossroads, Lucifer's quiet life in the suburbs is upended by impossible news: God is dead…   These three short stories take place before the start of the Nic Ward urban fantasy series. You can start here or with the first full-length novel, Nothing Sacred.