The Witch's Secret
Pegasus, 2024
Agent: Jill Marr
Alone and in a new, unfamiliar place, a young witch discovers a murderous plot to turn the tide of the Civil War—which also might be the key to getting her powers and place in society back, if it doesn’t kill her first.
After using a forbidden spell to wring a confession from her faithless lover, young witch Joya Shaw finds herself stripped of her power and banished to the magical backwater of the Colorado Territory.
But it is 1862, the American Civil War is raging, and going west doesn’t mean leaving the battlefields behind. When Joya arrives at a homesteader’s cabin and discovers the occupants savagely slain, she knows it is no mere murder: traces of demon magic cling to the bodies. Days later, a Union patrol is wiped out the same way, and Joya begins to suspect that someone is trying to create a new weapon for the rebel arsenal.
She gambles that thwarting the plot could be the key to ending her exile. But demon hunting is a dangerous game, and it’s all too easy for the hunter to become the prey. Trapped, Joya enters into an uneasy alliance with a demon. She must find a way to free herself or bend its power to her will. If she fails, she will forfeit not only her life, but also her soul—along with the chance to stop the tide of the war from turning in an unspeakable direction.
Accolades:
“A perfect blend of suspenseful historical fiction and dark magic set on the wild Colorado frontier, THE WITCH’S SECRET held me in thrall from beginning to end. With grit and a backbone made of steel, Murphy’s captivating heroine faces down threats both corporeal and supernatural in this gripping story edged with hair-raising moments of true gothic horror—and a touch of wry wit. Clever, frightening, and masterfully plotted.” — Paulette Kennedy, bestselling author of The Witch of Tin Mountain