Sparks — Laura Bickle

WITHOUT A TRACE

Anya Kalinczyk is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern, who holds down a day job as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Departmentwhile working 24/7 to exterminate malicious spirits haunting a city plagued by unemployment and despair. Along with her inseparable salamander familiar, Sparky, Anya has seen, and even survived, all manner of fiery hellbut her newest case sparks suspicions of a bizarre phenomenon that no one but her eccentric team of ghost hunters might believe: spontaneous human combustion.

After fire consumes the home of elderly Jasper Bernard, Anya is stunned to discover his remainsor, more precisely, a lack of them; even the fiercest fires leave some trace of their victimsand she is sure this was no naturally occurring blaze. Soon shes unearthed a connection to a celebrity psychic who preys on Detroits poor, promising miracles for money. But Hope Solomon wants moreshes collecting spirits, and in a frantic race against time, Anya will face down an evil adversary who threatens her fragile relationship with her lover, her beloved Sparkys freshly hatched newts, and the wandering souls of the entire city