Nominated for the BSFA Awards 2017! "One day I will be too old for the shadows. What kind of monster will I be then?" One minute Andrew Pryde is in a library, reading; the next, he's staring at the body of a young girl lying between the bookshelves, with a policewoman standing over him. In the blink of an eye, his world has unravelled. In his desperate quest to clear his name, he'll have to suspend all disbelief. And who exactly is Ronald Gibbs, the nerdy youth with a dark twist, who seems to hold so many answers to the mystery? Could this strange man, who spends his days on Internet chatrooms trying to prove the existence of magic and other worlds, somehow be involved in the girl's death? All the while, Andrew is plagued by disturbing visions and nightmares. As the police close in, the two men are forced to band together to seek the truth about strange disappearances, portals, and the occult. Can they find the murderer and rescue a girl who's already dead? "An engrossing fantasy mystery, bursting with magic and intrigue." Edward Cox "Stroud has a rare way with words that really engages and disarms the reader." SFBook