Four and Twenty Blackbirds [Paperback]

Although she was orphaned at birth, Eden Moore is never alone. Three dead women watch from the shadows, bound to protect her from harm. But in the woods a gunman waits, convinced that Eden is destined to follow her wicked great-grandfather--an African magician with the power to curse the living and raise the dead.

Now Eden must decipher the secret of the ghostly trio before a new enemy more dangerous than the fanatical assassin destroys what is left of her family. She will sift through lies in a Georgian ante-bellum mansion and climb through the haunted ruins of a 19th century hospital, desperately seeking the truth that will save her beloved aunt from the curse that threatens her life.

A stunning debut novel from a rising master of supernatural horror and the Southern Gothic

Four and Twenty BlackbirdswasCherie Priest's first novel, followed byWings to the Kingdom, andNot Flesh Nor Feathers, completing her trilogy of Southern Gothic ghost stories featuring heroine Eden Moore. Priest is also the author ofFathom,DreadnoughtandBoneshaker, which was nominated for a Nebula and Hugo Award, won the Locus Award for best science-fiction novel, and was named Steampunk Book of the Year by steampunk.com. Born in Tampa, Florida, Priest earned her master's in rhetoric at the University of Tennessee. She lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband, Aric, and a fat black cat named Spain.

Cherie Priest kicks ass!Four and Twenty Blackbirdsis lush, rich, intense, and as dark and dangerous as a gator-ridden swamp. Maggie Shayne,New York Timesbestselling author ofBlue Twilight

Fine writing, humor, thrills, real scares, the touch of the occult . . . had me from the first page. I read straight through. An absolutely wonderful debut, and a book not to be missed. Heather Graham,New York Timesbestselling author ofHaunted

Cherie Priest has created a chilling lc\