Product DescriptionMordecai has discovered his heritage and must take up the mantle of a lord of the realm, while figuring out what it really means to be a mage of the line of Illeniel. He is beset on both sides by allies and enemies trying to control or destroy his future. Gods and kings both seek to manipulate him for their own ends, and no matter what he chooses his loved ones will suffer. Will he risk destroying his love with a bond that might be her death, or face the madness that comes to wizards who embrace power without restraint?

Will's journey from naïve apprentice to a mature wizard is almost complete and his ever-growing mastery has reached unseen heights. But his power does not exist in a vacuum. His rising star threatens to eclipse the existing powers and a new balance must be found, one that either accepts his primacy or extinguishes his light.After Will's resounding successes in the war with Darrow the king plots to eliminate his young rival. Driven to desperation, Will is forced to negotiate for scraps between four brokers of power.An ancient lich driven by vengeance.The fae queen to whom all are just pawns in a deadly game.A nervous lord of Hell, because Will may have killed his predecessor, twice.A primal beast, feared above all.With mortal enemies as his allies, Will must survive to face the king—and the deadly secret he plans to unleash. Ancient foes have risen and the final battle has begun. With the world hanging in the balance, king and...

The ancient wizards lifted humanity from superstition, but the rise of sorcery destroyed their wisdom and replaced it with easy power. Yet, the last wizard of the old ways still survives, and his apprentice will catalyze the emergence of a new age.

Product DescriptionMordecai’s simple life as the son of a blacksmith is transformed by the discovery of his magical birthright. As he journeys to understand the power within him he is drawn into a dangerous plot to destroy the Duke of Lancaster and undermine the Kingdom of Lothion. Love and treachery combine to embroil him in events he was never prepared to face. What he uncovers will change his understanding of the past, and alter the future of those around him. About the AuthorMichael Manning, a practicing pharmacist, has been a fantasy and science-fiction reader for most of his life. He has dabbled in software design, fantasy art, and is an avid tree climber. He lives in Texas, with his stubborn wife, two kids, and a menagerie of fantastic creatures, including a moose-poodle, a vicious yorkie, and a giant prehistoric turtle.

Product DescriptionMordecai’s simple life as the son of a blacksmith is transformed by the discovery of his magical birthright. As he journeys to understand the power within him he is drawn into a dangerous plot to destroy the Duke of Lancaster and undermine the Kingdom of Lothion. Love and treachery combine to embroil him in events he was never prepared to face. What he uncovers will change his understanding of the past, and alter the future of those around him. About the AuthorMichael Manning, a practicing pharmacist, has been a fantasy and science-fiction reader for most of his life. He has dabbled in software design, fantasy art, and is an avid tree climber. He lives in Texas, with his stubborn wife, two kids, and a menagerie of fantastic creatures, including a moose-poodle, a vicious yorkie, and a giant prehistoric turtle.

Mordecai has made the ultimate sacrifice to keep his family safe, and now struggles to understand what he has become. Rejected by all, he must learn to master the darkness within if he is to stop Mal'goroth from destroying humanity. Alone, he battles to control the malevolent magic that has consumed him as he searches for some way to turn his destructive new powers against the Dark Gods themselves. To win, he must somehow transform his own damnation into mankind's salvation.

The world is on the cusp of destruction as Mordecai’s power grows beyond the limits of his own control. The only hope of salvaging their civilization lies with his children, but they have been scattered and branded outlaws. Mordecai is trapped by his own strength, a power too great to wield. Can his children stop the apocalypse, even if it means sacrificing their father?

The looming war with Darrow has faded to a distant shadow, but Will's continued studies at Wurthaven are disrupted by an unforeseen threat. Selene's absence has raised suspicion among her friends and Will's father-in-law, the king, who is now directing his ire at the obvious culprit, his daughter's new husband. Meanwhile the citizens of Cerria have begun disappearing and a shadowy figure is stalking Will's sister, Laina.With his power pushed to the limit, Will finds himself attempting to preserve a family that rejected him and trying to save a city whose king might rather see him dead. Desperate for help, he may not be able to trust the powers that have supported him in the past, for though the fae could be the source of the catastrophe; they only offer their assistance—for a price.Evil stalks the streets of Cerria at night, seeking the blood of his family, the destruction of the city, and the death of the king. Will may have to decide what is most important...

Mark Manning gave up a career as a prominent journalist at a major daily newspaper in Chicago to take over as the owner and publisher of the Dumont Daily Register, the daily newspaper in a small Wisconsin town. Living there with his lover, architect Neil Waite, and his nephew and ward Thad Quatrain, Mark's life in Dumont is usually quiet. At the moment, the biggest news is the forthcoming production of a new play by the local community theater group. Two local teenage boys are alternating in the lead role - one is Jason Thrush, a gregarious and somewhat egotistical athlete, and the other is Thad Quatrain. When Jason and Thad have a verbal clash during rehearsal, it is quickly forgotten by almost everyone involved. But when Jason turns up dead on opening night - leaving Thad to take over the lead role - the local gossip turns against Thad. Jason's death is soon proved to be murder and, even though he has not been charged, opinion about town has all but convicted Thad of the crime. Sure that Thad is innocent, Mark, with the help of his lover and friends, is determined to publicly clear Thad's name. But that means finding out exactly what happened to Jason Thrush on that fatal day and Manning's investigation may place him and his loved ones in mortal danger.

A midlife crisis sends Chicago Journal reporter Mark Manning back to his Wisconsin hometown—and into a morass of lust, lies, and lethal family secretsAn unexpected windfall has given burned-out Chicago journalist Mark Manning the chance to reconnect with his boyhood roots. With the blessing of his lover, Neil, he leaves the Windy City to return to Dumont, Wisconsin, to take over the town paper. His long-awaited family reunion is cut short when his cousin Suzanne is bludgeoned to death just before Christmas dinner. Before she dies, she whispers something to Manning: the name of her son.Was she expressing a mother’s dying wish for the future welfare of her child? Or revealing the identity of her murderer? When Manning ends up in the local law’s sights, he’s suddenly racing against time to clear his own name and smoke out a killer. With no lack of suspects, from a troubled homophobe to a lesbian activist to a housekeeper, the clock is ticking on a story that could be the biggest of Manning’s career—if he lives long enough to write it.Body Language is the third book in Michael Craft’s Mark Manning series, which begins with Flight Dreams and Eye Contact.

Reviews for Michael Craft's Mark Manning series have been unanimously enthusiastic, full of praise for Craft's tightly-wound and intriguing mystery plots, as well as his sensitive, insightful portrayal of a man coming to terms with his sexuality. Kensington will re-release "Eye Contact", as well as Flight Dreams (5/00) and Body Language (7/00), so that the entire Mark Manning series will be available as it continues to be published by St. Martin's Press."Eye Contact" is a fiercely unpredictable, adrenaline-rushed story of murder, erotic illusion and a devastating crime that reveals the mysteries of the human heart. It begins as a simple assignment for Chicago Journal reporter Mark Manning. He's been hired to replace colleague Cliff Nolan on a top story: renowned astrophysicist Pavo Zarnik claims to have discovered a tenth planet.To the skeptical reporter, there is no story because there is no proof. But soon, Manning makes some startling discoveries. Nolan's body is found with a bullet hole in his back, and the last interview with Zarnik is missing. Now, the story is no longer a matter of metaphysics, but of murder. And to complicate matters, Manning's young, new assistant is haunting is days and dreams. Together, they're determined to find the truth about Nolan's death. . .and the inevitable, damning piece of evidence that the killer will do anything to destroy -- even it means committing murder again.

Mark Manning, once a prominent journalist at a major daily newspaper in Chicago, is now the owner and publisher of the Dumont Daily Register, the daily paper in a small Wisconsin city. Here the biggest news is the impending city council report on a proposed new adult bookstore zoning law, the upcoming election for Sheriff and the upcoming annual exhibition of the Midwest Miniatures Society. In a unique coup for the first-ever miniatures exhibition in Dumont, the "king of miniatures," Mr. Carroll Cantrell has agreed to come and judge the show's main event. But the exhibition itself is quickly shoved off the front page of the paper when Cantrell is found murdered in his room. To make matters worse, Doug Pierce, the local sheriff, is widely believed to be responsible. Pierce - a closeted gay man and friend of Mark Manning - had been carrying on an affair with Cantrell and was the last person seen leaving his room before the body was discovered. As conservative elements in Dumont attempt to exploit the murder - and the sheriff's association with the deceased - to their own ends, Manning, with the help of his lover, architect Neil Waite, his staff and friends, starts his own investigation of the murder. With Cantrell having led something of a double life with no end of potential enemies and the miniatures world itself being a hot bed of rivalries and closely held resentments, the truth begins to feel very elusive indeed. As public sentiment begins to swing and time running out for Sheriff Pierce, Mark must uncover some of this close-knit town's most deeply held secrets if he's to learn the truth in time.

Product DescriptionMordecai’s simple life as the son of a blacksmith is transformed by the discovery of his magical birthright. As he journeys to understand the power within him he is drawn into a dangerous plot to destroy the Duke of Lancaster and undermine the Kingdom of Lothion. Love and treachery combine to embroil him in events he was never prepared to face. What he uncovers will change his understanding of the past, and alter the future of those around him. About the AuthorMichael Manning, a practicing pharmacist, has been a fantasy and science-fiction reader for most of his life. He has dabbled in software design, fantasy art, and is an avid tree climber. He lives in Texas, with his stubborn wife, two kids, and a menagerie of fantastic creatures, including a moose-poodle, a vicious yorkie, and a giant prehistoric turtle.