State of Grace — John R. Phythyon Jr.

Wolf Dasher's mission is simple: find out who murdered his friend and colleague in Urland's Shadow Service while she was on assignment in the elf nation of Alfar. But Wolf soon learns that, in the magical land of elves, nothing is easy. The once-lush country is now decaying, torn apart by a religious schism that spawned a civil war and daily acts of terrorism. A simple murder investigation leads Wolf into an intricate web of assassination, betrayal, and zealotry. He'll need all of his skill and Shadow magic to defeat a psychotic killer, a bloodthirsty general, and an arrogant ambassador with visions of grandeur. Failure means a devastating act of terrorism that will kill thousands of elves, topple Alfar's government, and change the balance of power in the world forever. STATE OF GRACE is the first in a series of fantasy-thriller mashup novels, blending magic, super spies, and politics in an exciting brew of action and adventure. From the chilling opening scene to the pulse-pounding climax, STATE OF GRACE takes the best elements of an espionage thriller and a court intrigue and weaves them into a world both familiar and fantastic.