The Lavender Blade: An Exorcist's Chronicle

For readers who loved New York Times bestseller Gideon the Ninth, Deards delivers a queer speculative fiction novel about what happens when a con artist exorcist becomes possessed for real. What happens when a successful con becomes an unexpected reality? Colton and Lucian have a lot in common: both late-twenties, clever, have struggled with substance abuse, and find themselves penniless in Valencia. When Lucian discovers Colton’s fake exorcism con, he devises a scheme to turn that con into a business that can sustain them both. The work is successful, despite unsavory characters they meet along the way: from a woman who murdered her own staff member to a man who pretends to murder Lucian. They even manage to continue their professional relationship while venturing into more personal, romantic possibilities. But when a real, powerful demon possesses Lucian, will they have what it takes to vanquish it to save their relationship—and Lucian’s life?