When Doreen McKenzie returned from Alfheimr, she hoped her problems were over. She was wrong. Being beaten up and left for dead was only the start of her troubles. Alone and scared, not knowing where to turn, or to who, she finds a... somewhat unfortunate 'solution'. She also finds love. Or does she? After all, it's not easy when the object of your affections is utterly clueless as to how you feel and you're too scared to tell her. If she can get out of the trap she's fallen into, admit her feelings, and survive the politics of the Returned, then maybe, just maybe, she has a chance."

Every person is the main character in their own story, and no matter how unimportant it may seem, it is still worth telling. And in this book, three women on the periphery of greater events, Melanie Adamms, Tina Branford, and Jenny Hudson get their chance to be heard. Melanie Adamms, a young maths student, finds her life turned upside-down by a chance encounter in a Manchester night club Tina Branford returns from Alfheimr to find nothing but terror, bewilderment, frustration, and despair. But she finds new friends who help her find a way out. Jenny Hudson drifted through life, not knowing...

It all began when Christina McKenzie had a bad day. In some ways, it was just the latest in a whole series going back over ten years, but in another, it was very different. For one thing it was the last one of her life. But it wasn't the end of things, but rather the beginning of a whole new set of... opportunities, as her unlife as a vampire proved to be trickier and more complicated than she'd have ever thought possible. But if she can survive the attentions of vampire hunters, werewolves, and her fellow undead, then maybe things will work out some how.

Sandra Jones wished for a better life. What she got was taken to Alfheimr. Somehow she escaped. She thought her troubles were behind her, but she'd merely swapped old troubles for new ones. In a world radically different from the one she was taken from, she finds herself caught up in the politics and conspiracies of her fellow Returned, and used by them for their own ends. Sure it's good to be back, but what has she got herself into? Who can she turn to when she doesn't want to get her friends killed? And can she keep hold of who she is in a world that only gets more confusing and...

Sandra Jones had a plan. Step One, get back from Alfheimr (again). Step Two, Sit back and enjoy a quiet, peaceful life with her family. The world, however, had other plans. The death of Drew Gilmore, for one. As the violence ripples around her, can she avoid being pulled into the maelstrom that stems from this seemingly inconsequential event? What will she find, and who will be left alive after the cataclysm and fury of the pain-filled world she has re-entered. Can she accept who she has become, and will anything ever be the same again?"

Susan Lenahan is back. Back in Glasgow after seven years to take a new job with the mysterious organisation known as Eanchainn as head of their 'Tactical Division'. But what exactly does it involve? She's not sure, but feels that she's being kept in the dark as to their true purpose. Reunited with old friends, meeting new ones, and forced to work with vampires, changelings, and a very odd sorceress, she tries to find the truth amidst all the lies and silence. The only question is, can she handle it?