Alex Southerland is back, along with Smokey and Badass. Our hardboiled private dick and elementalist is searching the mean streets of the city for the secret behind a deadly curse. It all starts during a rare Yerba City heat wave when a witch with strange snake tats winding up her gams walks into his office to report that she has committed a murder. Thing is, the murdered man isn't dead, and, well, it's complicated.

Crawford the were-rat is back, chewing his way through the walls of a secret elite gentleman's club to help Southerland expose a sex-trafficking ring. Meanwhile, Southerland has to deal with a were-crow, a shadowy dog spirit with no eyes, a couple of rock-addled were-snakes, a witch who knits tea cozies, and another witch who wants to feed Southerland's heart to a hummingbird. And that's before he's cursed and cast off to spend eternity in the Azteca realm of the dead! And he'll still have to survive the aftermath of a deadly battle between two very old and very powerful naked ladies if he wants to bring some Huaxian takeout to the Lubanks. Like I said - it's complicated!