Title:
Tyrel Hanson P.I. : The Case of the Hundun
Author:
Catherine Milos
Genre:
Paranormal
Book Blurb:
Angel. Viking. Demon hunter. Tyrel Hanson has hunted the darkness and sought justice since the dawn of creation. Now, he’s just a human trying to pass the time as a P.I. in the Canadian prairies. Sure, he takes the odd normal case, but he specializes in the paranormal. He and his side-kick Stephen, a young man who never stops eating and can summon lightning, delve into investigating a haunting in the badlands. But Tyrel’s cases are never simple and soon a woman’s life hangs in the balance. The past and the present collide as Tyrel and Stephen try to solve the case in this supernatural thriller.
Excerpt:
The prairies are ripe with ghost stories, demons, and darkness. Maybe it's the isolation. In a place where you can drive for a day and still be in the middle of nowhere, far away from civilization, things can mess with your head. Time slips away on you.
I'm Tyrel Hanson, and it's my job to chase those ghost stories, demons, and darkness and put them back where they belong. I'm a PI after all. While I do take on the odd normal case—cheating partners, murders gone cold, missing persons—I mostly specialize.
I hunt down the paranormal and the demonic. The darker, the better.
At first, I did it for God. I was an Angel, administering justice in the name of Heaven, Seraphim Tyrryal. That was a long time ago. Circumstances changed. I left Heaven and became mortal.
It wasn't a terrible life, at first. I was a Viking, Tyr the Translator. When I left Father and Mother to become human, some of my Angelic gifts followed me. The ability to speak any language was one of them. I was a skilled warrior, too.
During a Viking raid, I met a woman. A fiery, strong, passionate faerie named Madigan. I kept her safe from slavery and mistreatment, intending to let her go once it was safe. Funny thing, though, I fell in love with her. She just happened to also fall for me.
That's when they get you, though. When you have something to lose.
A god meddled. There are a lot of decent ones out there, my favourites being the Crone and Chaos. They are older gods. Nearly forgotten. But there are a few that are real shits—usually the young ones, but not always. A young Celtic god named Nuada destroyed my life, cursed me to hunt again, and took my wife away from me. He promised to restore her if I used every mortal life I had to exterminate the creatures one of my brothers let loose. You might have heard of my brother. His name is Lucifer.
You see, the lazy bastard of a god decided he'd pass off his duties to me. Apparently, Nuada had heard of my skills as an Angel and figured he'd reap all the glory while I got my hands dirty. Well, it worked. Mostly. I had built up my own demon army to take down Nuada and rescue Madigan, but circumstances changed, again.
A twist of fate saw Madigan reincarnated in the same time as I. I have my suspicions on who to thank for that boon.
Madison—the current incarnation of Madigan—is safely working to save the world from mortal destruction. She's an ecologist. And she's mine again.
Now, I get to hunt because I want to. It keeps me occupied while Madison is away for months on research projects for work. Mostly, it keeps me from getting bored.
Our destination is only a few hours south of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, but it seems a whole different world from the rush of urban activity. I drive down almost a dozen bridges. The landscape ripples with coulees, fairy chimneys, and sand dunes. Stephen is in the passenger seat vibrating in anticipation. I tried to tell him it's a low-key job, the case will be a quick fix. He doesn't seem to care. I think he's just happy to get out of the office for a bit.
Stephen has been helping me for just over a year or two now, took over for my previous partner. He's a good kid. He keeps checking the GPS.
“Your destination is on the right,” the GPS bellows out.
And I'm damn glad for it. I've had to piss for two hours. I put the car in park.
Stephen launches himself out of the car. I've just had her worked over by the mechanic, so she's running fine and not fighting me, much, which was nice for the long drive. I close the car door quietly behind me.
Our target is the tallest building on the street. The house doesn't look haunted then again, they never do. The 1920s two-story cheerily grinned at us with its yellow brick and its windows arranged akin to a smile. You'd never guess the terror hidden within. The other houses on the two streets surrounding it are brand new builds. A few older buildings remain, including the three-story hotel we'll be staying at. I can see its top floor over the neighbouring houses' roofs.
This job's a quick in and out, a favour for the paranormal guild. I contract with them from time to time and use some of their talent on my demon hunts—strictly behind-the-desk talent. I wouldn't bring them into a fight. It'd be suicide. For all of us.
Story's the same as most of these cases, give or take a few specifics. Young couple moves in to a house that was a great buy. Something's not quite right with the house. Likely haunted. She's an engineer on a project out here, he's followed her. Nice folks from the look of them. Stephen introduces us and, by the time I reach the open doorway, the wife's sitting down in the living room. I can hear movement in the kitchen and a heavenly aroma floats through the air. The husband is brewing coffee.
I nod to the woman. She nods back. I shut the door behind me. Inside is well kept, modern furniture. I immediately notice the scratches in the hardwood. The door to the basement at the end of the hall sits lightly on its hinges. Could just be foundation slants and shifts. But if it was, I wouldn't be here. The guild and law enforcement, if they're involved, rule that out pretty quick. Home owners are more proactive too, bringing in inspectors and assessors to rule it out on their own.
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If you could dress up as anything or anyone this Halloween, what or who would it be and why?
This Halloween I’m dressing up as a witch and a mermaid because I always have a witch costume on hand and I happen to have a swimmable mermaid tail to use this year. Going for easy. Most years I’m pretty extravagant when it comes to my favourite holiday.
Explain why your featured book is a treat to read:
Tyrel’s cases are great Halloween reads because they integrate the paranormal, a complicated rough to the core main character, and a light sprinkling of horror.
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Open internationally
Runs October 1 – 31
Drawing will be held on November 1.
Author Biography:
Catherine Milos is a best-selling Canadian author who has been writing stories since she could hold a crayon. She has published numerous creative non-fiction articles in journals, essays, poetry and occasionally the odd business writing piece. She finds the most enjoyment in writing novel-length fiction.
Aside from writing, Catherine’s passions include rescuing strays, creating and appreciating art, connecting with nature, and being amazed by the magic of life.
Catherine is a member of the Society of Enlightened Dragonologists, Saskatchewan Writers Guild, Editors Canada, and a Publisher with SaskBooks.
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