Carniepunk: Parlor Tricks
3.5/5
()
About this ebook
A story from the forthcoming Carniepunk urban fantasy anthology starring bestselling authors Rachel Caine, Jennifer Estep, Kevin Hearne, Seanan McGuire, and Rob Thurman, and also includes Delilah S. Dawson, Kelly Gay, Mark Henry, Hillary Jacques, Jackie Kessler, Kelly Meding, Allison Pang, Nicole D. Peeler, and Jaye Wells. Samples of all fourteen tales are included to tantalize and to tease. Come to the Carniepunk midway and explore the creepy, mysterious, magical world of traveling carnivals today!
Jennifer Estep
Jennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author who prowls the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.Jennifer is the author of the Section 47, Galactic Bonds, Elemental Assassin, Crown of Shards, Gargoyle Queen, and other fantasy series. She has written more than forty books, along with numerous novellas and stories.In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys hanging out with friends and family, doing yoga, and reading fantasy and romance books. She also watches way too much TV and loves all things related to superheroes.For more information on Jennifer and her books, visit her website at or follow her online on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Amazon, BookBub, and Goodreads. You can also sign up for her newsletter: https://www.jenniferestep.com/contact-jennifer/newsletter/Happy reading, everyone! ?
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Titles in the series (21)
Web of Lies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Deadly Sting Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Spider Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unwanted Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spider's Revenge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heart of Venom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thread of Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Carniepunk: Parlor Tricks Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Widow's Web Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spider's Trap Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black Widow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5By a Thread Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unraveled Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kiss of Venom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Poison Promise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Venom: An Elemental Assassin Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nice Guys Bite Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Snared Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spider's Bite: An Elemental Assassin Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bitter Bite Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tangled Threads Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Carniepunk
33 ratings1 review
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Well written but predictable.
Book preview
Carniepunk - Jennifer Estep
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DO YOU DARE ENTER THE WORLD OF THE TRAVELING CARNIVAL?
It’s a leftover of a bygone era, a curiosity lurking on the outskirts of town. It’s a place of contradictions, where the bright lights mask the peeling paint and a carnie in greasy overalls slinks away while the barker enraptures rubes with his seductive call. Here, one must remain alert and learn the unwritten rules before it’s too late. To beat the carnival, one had better have either a whole lot of luck or a whole lot of guns—or maybe some magic of one’s own.
Featuring stories grotesque and comical, outrageous and action-packed, Carniepunk is the first anthology to channel the energy and attitude of urban fantasy into the carnival’s bizarre world of creaking machinery, twisted myths, and vivid new magic.
CARNIEPUNK
A collection of riveting stories from
RACHEL CAINE DELILAH S. DAWSON JENNIFER ESTEP KELLY GAY KEVIN HEARNE MARK HENRY HILLARY JACQUES JACKIE KESSLER SEANAN MCGUIRE KELLY MEDING ALLISON PANG NICOLE D. PEELER ROB THURMAN JAYE WELLS
• • •Contents
Parlor Tricks
by Jennifer Estep
Sample of Painted Love
by Rob Thurman
Sample of The Three Lives of Lydia
by Delilah S. Dawson
Sample of The Demon Barker of Wheat Street
by Kevin Hearne
Sample of The Sweeter the Juice
by Mark Henry
Sample of The Werewife
by Jaye Wells
Sample of The Cold Girl
by Rachel Caine
Sample of A Duet with Darkness
by Allison Pang
Sample of Recession of the Divine
by Hillary Jacques
Sample of Freak House
by Kelly Meding
Sample of The Inside Man
by Nicole Peeler
Sample of A Chance in Hell
by Jackie Kessler
Sample of Hell’s Menagerie
by Kelly Gay
Sample of Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea
by Seanan McGuire
About the Authors of Carniepunk
Enter the world of Carniepunk and purchase your copy of the entire anthology today!
• • •Parlor Tricks
An Elemental Assassin Short Story
Jennifer Estep
Acarnival? Really?
Detective Bria Coolidge looked at me. You don’t like carnivals?
Not particularly,
I said. There are already enough people around here looking to con you without you having to actually pay for the privilege.
Bria rolled her eyes. That’s just a stereotype. Not all carnivals are looking to cheat folks.
I know that,
I said. But I also know that this is Ashland. So if there was any place for a carnival to be crooked, this would be it.
Bria didn’t answer me. She knew as well as I did that corruption was a way of life in our sprawling southern city, along with violence, magic, avarice, and greed. Cheating, beating, and even murdering your enemies wouldn’t get you jail time in Ashland so much as applause, admiration, and respect—and someone immediately plotting to take you down the same way you had your enemies.
My baby sister and I stood at the entrance to the Ashland Fairgrounds, a wide, grassy clearing that was nestled in among the Appalachian Mountains, which ran through and around the city. Tree-covered ridges towered over the clearing, giving the landscape a bowl-like shape. The fairgrounds hosted a variety of events throughout the year, everything from livestock shows to sporting events to camps for kids. On this warm June evening, it was the site of The Carnival of Wondrous Wonders! At least, that’s what the banner stretched above the entrance said.
Bria had parked her sedan in the gravel lot, and we’d eased into the stream of people heading for the white picket fence that cordoned off the clearing. Most of the other carnival goers were families with small kids or sullen teenagers looking to escape from Mom and Dad’s watchful eyes for a few hours. Bria looked a little out of place with her jeans, her blue button-up shirt, and the gold detective’s badge glinting on her belt, right next to her holstered gun. So did I with my boots, jeans, and long-sleeved black T-shirt.
Well, look at it this way,
Bria said in a cheery voice. The odds of anyone here knowing you are pretty slim. If nothing else, you can just relax and not have to worry about anyone trying to kill you tonight.
Heh. I wouldn’t count on it.
By day, I was Gin Blanco, owner of the Pork Pit barbecue restaurant.