Thunderbird Falls
It's the end of the world… Again.For all the bodies she's encountering, you'd think beat cop Joanne Walker works in Homicide. But no, Joanne's a reluctant shaman who last saved mankind three months ago–surely she deserves more of a break! Yet, incredibly, "Armageddon, Take Two" is mere days away. There's not a minute to waste.Yet when her spirit guide inexplicably disappears, Joanne needs help from other sources. Especially after she accidentally unleashes Lower World demons on Seattle. Damn. With the mother of all showdowns gathering force, it's the worst possible moment for Joanne to realize she should have learned more about controlling her powers. Or to discover she's being lied to…
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Praise for
C.E. MURPHY and her books:
The Walker Papers
Coyote Dreams
âTightly written and paced, [Coyote Dreams] has a compelling, interesting protagonist, whose struggles and successes will captivate new and old readers alike.â
âRomantic Times BOOKreviews
Thunderbird Falls
âThoroughly entertaining from start to finish.â
âAward-winning author Charles de Lint
âThe breakneck pace keeps things movingâ¦helping make this one of the most involving and entertaining new supernatural mystery series in an increasingly crowded field.â
âLOCUS
âFans of Jim Butcherâs Dresden Files novels and the works of urban fantasists Charles de Lint and Tanya Huff should enjoy this fantasy/mysteryâs cosmic elements. A good choice.â
âLibrary Journal
Urban Shaman
âC.E. Murphy has written a spellbinding and enthralling urban fantasy in the tradition of Tanya Huff and Mercedes Lackey.â
âThe Best Reviews
âTightly plotted and nicely paced, Murphyâs latest has a world in which ancient and modern magic fuse almost seamlesslyâ¦Fans of urban fantasy are sure to enjoy this first book in what looks to be an exciting new series.â
âRomantic Times BOOKreviews
[nominee for Reviewerâs Choice Best Modern Fantasy]
The Negotiator
Hands of Flame
âFast-paced action and a twisty-turny plot make for a good readâ¦Fans of the series will be sad to leave Margritâs world behind, at least for the time being.â
âRomantic Times BOOKreviews
House of Cards
âViolent confrontations add action on top of tense intrigue in this involving, even thrilling, middle book in a divertingly different contemporary fantasy romance series.â
âLOCUS
âThe second title in Murphyâs Negotiator series is every bit as interesting and fun as the first. Margrit is a fascinatingly complex heroine who doesnât shy away from making difficult choices.â
âRomantic Times BOOKreviews
Heart of Stone
â[An] exciting series openerâ¦Margrit makes for a deeply compelling heroine as she struggles to sort out the sudden upheaval in her professional and romantic lives.â
âPublishers Weekly
âA fascinating new seriesâ¦as usual, Murphy delivers interesting worldbuilding and magical systems, believable and sympathetic characters and a compelling story told at a breakneck pace.â
âRomantic Times BOOKreviews
C.E. Murphy
Thunderbird Falls
BOOK TWO: THE WALKER PAPERS
This oneâs for Alex Trebek.
(Really.)
Acknowledgments
Once more, thanks are due to both my editor, Mary-Theresa Hussey, and my agent, Jennifer Jackson, for making this a better book; and to cover artist Hugh Syme, whose artwork I am still delighted to have my book judged by.
They are further due to Silkie, for research above and beyond the call of duty (especially since there was no call of duty at all!); to Trip, for making me think harder than is my natural inclination; and to Anna, who is responsible for any geography I got right in Seattle.
As for the rest of it, if I started listing my support structure in detail, there wouldnât be room for the book. Still, to my family, especially Ted and Shaun, who respectively keep me fed and keep the kitchen clean, thank you.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
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
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER ONE
Thursday, June 16, 6:19 a.m.
Two words I never thought would go together: Joanne Walker and 6:00 a.m.
Never mind that thatâs actually four words, five if you spell out ante meridiem. If youâre going to get technical, youâre going to lose all your friends. The point is, it was Oh God Early and I was not only up, but at work. Not even at work. I was volunteering. Volunteering my own precious sleeping time, five hours before I was supposed to be at work. I was so noble I could kill myself.
While I was busy admiring my nobility, a bunch of protesters linked arms and waded toward the police line I was a part of. There were considerably more of them than there were of usâhence me being there at allâand the power of authority as granted to us by the city of Seattle wasnât pulling a lot of weight with them. They werenât violent, just determined. I spread my arms wide and leaned into the oncoming mass, blowing a whistle that was more noisome than effective. The protesters stopped close enough that I could count the individual silver hairs on the head of the man in front of me, who stood there, Right In My Personal Space.
People have gotten shot for less.
Not, however, by me, and besides, as one of the cityâs finest, I wasnât in a position to be shooting people just for getting in my personal space. Instead, I took a step forward, trusting my own presence to be enough to cow them. It was; the silver-haired guy in front of me shifted back, making a bow in his line. I pressed my advantage, arms still spread wide, and they all fell back a step.
