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Historic St. Augustine, Florida is beautiful and magical in an Old World way. Perhaps that's what drew three spiritualists to one of the city's oldest cemeteries, in search of a spirit guide. But when they accidentally open a doorway to the spirit world, they allow an ancient evil to return to the land of the living. This dark god, called a Shiru by the native Indians once living in the area, has the ability to change shapes and disguise its true appearance, taking on the identity of anyone it has consumed. The women try to flee from the monster they have summoned, but one of them is killed. Her remains are found the following day by homicide detective Jack Colvin. The detective is shocked by what he finds in the old cemetery, but the grisly murder is just the first in the series of slayings committed by the Shiru. Local tour guide Ssabra Onih isn't involved in the homicide investigation, but she is having her share of problems. The ghost of Guale Indian Chief Tolomato has also returned from the spirit world, and has chosen her to help him fight the Shiru before it can kill again. To aid them in their battle, Tolomato has given her a special gift of sight: Ssabra can now see and communicate with spirits. Ssabra's new gift of sight is a threat to the Shiru, but the dark god is not stalking her for the purpose of doing her any harm. On the contrary, the monster has chosen her as a mate, and wants to breed with the woman in order to reestablish its race among the living. The paths of Ssabra Onih and Detective Jack Colvin cross in a dark alleyway when the detective is almost killed by the Shiru. Both of them now know about the monster, and join forces in an effort to destroy it. Their one chance of defeating the monster lies in finding the buried bones of a hideously deformed child: an offspring of Shiru and human dating back to when the dark gods previously walked the earth. The bones are said to be magical, and can be used as a weapon against the monster. The only problem is that the bones have been hidden in one of the old Spanish wells, and there must be dozens of wells in the historic city. Will they be able to find the remains of the offspring before the Shiru finds them? "BREED should come with a warning on the cover: Danger: Heavy duty scare factor! Owl Goingback weaves a mesmerizing blend of nightmarish Native American myth and good old fashioned ghost story. As always Goingback threads important historic facts into his storyline which makes his works even more notable. BREED is packed with chills that don't let up, and will leave you listening long into the wee hours for strange noises and looking for unnatural shadows. Good stuff."—HORROR WORLD "BREED is an entertaining read...perfect for an airport layover or a rainy day."—FANGORIA "A well-crafted, highly readable tale."—HELLNOTES "A good, unusually atmospheric tale of monsters and the unquiet undead."—LOCUS "Bram Stoker Award-winning author Owl Goingback's BREED is a suspenseful train ride through St. Augustine's history and folklore."—ST. AUGUSTINE RECORD "With BREED, Owl Goingback has captured the places and people of America's oldest city in modern times. His use of local legends and hauntings, mixed liberally with his own wild imagination and natural gift for storytelling, has produced a book that's as authentic as it is fun and frightening. A bravura performance by a writer who started out good and just keeps getting better."—Garret Peck, Co-Editor: PERSONAL DEMONS, TOOTH AND CLAW
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Owl Goingback
