In near-future New Orleans, draugar, again-walkers, are faster and stronger than most humans, but not venomous until they are a century old. Until then, they shamble and bite. Since not everyone wants to see their relatives end up that way, Genevieve Crowe makes her living beheading the dead.

But now, her magic’s gone sideways, and the only person strong enough to help her is the one man who could tempt her to think about picket fences: Eli Stonecroft, a faery who chose bar-owner in New Orleans over a life in Elphame.

When human businessmen start turning up as draugar, both the queen of the again-walkers and the wealthy son of one of the victims hire Genevieve to figure it out. She works to keep her magic in check, the dead from crawling out of their graves, and enough money for a future that might be a lot longer than she’d like.

Neither her heart nor her life are safe now that she’s juggling a faery, murder, and magic.

I loved The Wicked and The Dead! A sassy, ass-kicking heroine, a deliciously mysterious fae hero, and a wonderful mix of action and romance. Add that to Melissa’s usual great world-building, and I’m already looking forward to book 2! - Jeaniene Frost, NYT Bestselling Author

Wow! You all seriously want to read this. It’s an urban fantasy - very cool twist on vampires - with a heroine simultaneously so kickass, warmly human, and passionate about the world that I want to be her. I also want to be her because of the insanely hot Eli, her fae love interest… .Get in on the ground level with this series, because it’s going to be an auto buy. Highly recommend. – Jeffe Kennedy, award-winning author and SFWA Board Member

I absolutely loved this novel! Melissa Marr does a brilliant job of weaving obscure folklore into a modern story. –Katie, Reference Librarian at Lafourche Library