The Immortals
It is Samhain—the Blood Harvest. Nonbelievers call it Hallowe'en. The night when eight Nashville teenagers are found dead, with occult symbols carved into their naked bodies. It's a ritual the killers believe was blessed by Death himself. When children are victimized, emotions always run high, and this case has the public both outraged and terrified: a dangerous combination.Recently reinstated homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson knows she has to act quickly, but tread carefully. Exploring the baffling culture of mysticism and witchcraft, Taylor is immersed in a darkness that threatens to unbalance the order of her world, and learns how unchecked wrath can push a killer to his limits.Praise for J.T. Ellison"A terrific lead character, terrific suspense, terrific twists…a completely convincing debut." - Lee Child "A taut, striking debut. Mystery fiction has a new name to watch." - John ConnollyThe Taylor Jacksons series1. All The Pretty Girls2. 143. Judas Kiss4. The Cold Room5. The Immortals6. So Close the Hand of Death7. Where All the Dead Lie
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Praise for J.T. Ellison
âCarefully orchestrated plot twists and engrossing characters⦠The story moves at breakneck speed⦠Flawed yet identifiable characters and genuinely terrifying villains populate this impressive and arresting thriller.â
âPublishers Weekly on Judas Kiss [starred review]
âCrime fiction has a new name to watch.â
âJohn Connolly
âCombines The Silence of the Lambs with The Wire.â
âJanuary Magazine on The Cold Room
âDarkly compelling and thoroughly chillingâ¦everything a great crime thriller should be.â
âAllison Brennan on All the Pretty Girls
âA twisty, creepy and wonderful bookâ¦Ellison is relentless and grabs the reader from the first page and refuses to let go until the soul tearing climax.â
âCrimespree on 14
â[A] tight and powerful story. Judas Kiss moves at a rapid-fire rateâ¦rushing like adrenaline through the bloodstream.â
âThe Strand Magazine
âFlawlessly plotted, with well-defined characters and conflictâ¦quite simply a gem.â
âRT Book Reviews [Top Pick] on The Cold Room
âA terrific lead character, terrific suspense, terrific twistsâ¦a completely convincing debut.â
âLee Child on All the Pretty Girls
J.T. Ellison
The Immortals
For Jill Thompson (ti amo molto!)
and my darling Randy.
These eight words the Rede fulfill:
âAn ye harm none, do what ye will.â
âDoreen Valiente
The Wiccan Rede
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.
âEmily Dickinson
Because I Could Not Stop for Death
Contents
Third Quarter Moon Samhain (Halloween)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Waning Crescent Moon Twenty-five Percent of Full Hallowmas (All Saints' Day)
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Waning Crescent Moon Twenty Percent of Full Feast of Odin (All Souls' Day)
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Waning Crescent Moon Fifteen Percent of Full Three Days Past Samhain (Halloween)
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-One
Acknowledgments
One
Nashville, Tennessee
October 31 3:30 p.m.
Taylor Jackson stood at attention, arms behind her back, her dress blues itching her wrists. She was feeling more than a bit embarrassed. Sheâd asked for this to be done without ceremony, just a simple here you go, youâre back in our good graces, but the chief was having nothing of it. Heâd insisted she not only receive her lieutenantâs badge again, but be decorated as well, in a very public ceremony. Her union rep was thrilled, and at her direction, had dropped the lawsuit sheâd been forced to file against the department when they demoted her without cause. Taylor was pleased, as well. Sheâd been fighting to get reinstated, and she had to admit it was nice to put all of this behind her. But the pomp and circumstance was a bit much.
It had been a long afternoon. Taylor felt like a show pony, was flushed with the overly exuberant praise of her career, her involvement in catching the Conductor, a serial killer whoâd killed two women back-to-back, kidnapped a third and fled Nashville with Taylor hot on his heels. Sheâd arrested him in Italy, and the story had immediately caught international headlines, because at the same time, sheâd been party to the capture of one of Italyâs most notorious serial killers, Il Macellaio. In the world of sound bites and news at your fingertips, taking two serial killers into custody had garnered so much attention that the chief had been forced into action.
Not only was she being reinstated; Taylor had command of the murder squad again, and her team was being reassembled. Detectives Lincoln Ross and Marcus Wade were shipped back up from the South Sector, and after a long discussion with the chief, sheâd even talked him into allowing Renn McKenzie to become part of the permanent team. She had her boys back.
Most of them.
Pete Fitzgerald had fallen off the face of the earth. Taylor had last talked to him when he was in Barbados, anchored and waiting for a new part for his boatâs engine. Heâd called to let her know he thought heâd seen their old nemesis, and she hadnât heard from him since. She was sick with worry, convinced that Fitz had been taken by the Pretender, a killer so obscene, so cruel that he invaded her dreams and consumed her waking moments. A killer Taylor hadnât caught; the one whoâd quite literally gotten away.
