Synopses & Reviews
After avenging himself on the mythical monster that killed his sister, Kal Hakela is back at the Bureau of Supernatural Investigation. But, with only a few months left on his contract, he's tempted to retire along with his new love, former MI-7 agent Jeanie. When a friend and former BSI agent in San Francisco kills himself, he leaves Kal a clue, one he cannot ignore. The city is full of bad memories for Kal. In his last mission there, he killed a deranged serial rapist who used magic to murder his victims. Though successful, the mission resulted in unfortunate collateral damage, which earned Kal the enmity of San Francisco's ghostly Supernatural protector. With the fate of every human on Earth at stake, Kal and his team confront a slew of Supernatural perils, from giant insects to gargoyles. And they must complete their mission without the help of the BSI, its magical weaponry, and the superhuman power of Kal's legendary rage.
Review
"Another high impact, fast moving story from Mark Everett Stone. I am really enjoying seeing his growth as a writer reflected in the strength of his characters and am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Kal."
--Michelle Herbert, Fantasy Book Review
Review
"Can you imagine the panic and religious hysteria if John Q. Public found that vampires, werewolves and demons were really out to get them?" That is the very situation that Kal Hakela and his team of commandos and magicians from the Bureau of Supernatural Investigation face every day, and on every page of Mark Everett Stone's I Left My Haunt in San Francisco.
Part Men in Black, part Ghostbusters, and with a nod to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Stone's book is a hoot and a howl--literally. From the mostly friendly ghost of Joshua Norton, self-crowned emperor of the United States and protector of Mexico, to a devilish fairy prince of the underworld, Stone's hero and his team encounter and must deal with all manner of supernatural beings and beasties. Fortunately, Kal Hakela and his plucky crew have spell bombs and other magic-enhanced weapons. But the best tools in their arsenal are, of course, their own cunning and courage.
The third in a series, I Left My Haunt in San Francisco is lively and smart. It is packed with action and just enough goop and gore to please fans of the genre without turning away newcomers to this subset of modern fantasy demon-busting. Stone's characters deliver the requisite quips about having to fight "a wasp the size of a Buick" or how an enemy's lair "looks like it's been designed by a gay Rastafarian pastry chef on Quaaludes."
The good guys must battle monsters and zombies, evil fairies, serial-rapist-murdering magicians, iron-munching nannies, and nasty magical knights made of glass (black, of course) just to name a few among the host of creatures and creations Stone has called up to harry the City by the Bay. Thankfully, Kal Hakela has powerful allies, among them a mystical Apache and Ileana, "a buff version of Audrey Hepburn." It is all written in good fun, tongue firmly planted in cheek, and with the gruesome bits lightened by such whimsical characters as the tiny elfish brownies Hakela carries about in a toy Winnebago to play rock music and take care of his dry cleaning.
Stone's book moves fast and reads quickly. It is well-written and nicely paced, with a few short rest stops built in to allow the reader to catch his breath, all to better appreciate the at-times purple but always entertaining prose. "Money may be the root of all evil," as one such passage goes, "but it is good root to have when you fight Supernatural."
In Stone's world, large amounts of magic are measured in "gigamerlins," and on that scale, I Left My Haunt in San Francisco rates a full "teramerlin." It is just great, grand fun.
Mark McLaughlin, ForeWord Review
March 15, 2013
Review
"Stone's depiction of magic is realistic and intelligent and his treatment of Catholicism refreshingly informed and three-dimensional. Even the obligatory near-apocalyptic ending is coherent, surprising, and exciting."
Publishers Weekly (Starred review of The Judas Line)
Review
"Kal Hakala is at his finest, throwing out one liners and sarcasm like candy at the local town parade. There's even some nifty new gadgets that would make Q green with envy. Stone concocts his tale with a generous helping of spells and weaponry, a dash of some familiar faces, a smidgen of new folks on the team, and tops it off with plenty of awesome battles with the Things That Go Bump in the Night .... A dish best read in one sitting because you won't be able to put this one down."
--Shay Fabro, award-winning author of the Portal of Destiny series
"The third episode of the Files of the BSI series is told with Mark Stone's trademark tongue in cheek humor. It keeps you wanting more with each turn of the page, to not only uncover the mysteries of the story, but also to enjoy Kal's quick but cynical wit."
--CP Bialois, author of Call of Poseidon, The Sword and the Flame series, and Skeleton Key
Synopsis
After avenging his sister's death, Kal Hakela is back at the Bureau of Supernatural Investigation. A suspicious suicide sends him to San Francisco, where a former mission went south and made an enemy of the city's ghostly Supernatural protector. Now, with the Earth's survival at stake, Kal and his team must take on a slew of Supernatural perils, without magic and without the help of the BSI.
About the Author
Born in Helsinki, Finland, Mark Everett Stone arrived in the U.S. at a young age and promptly dove into the world of the fantastic. Starting at age seven with the Iliad and the Odyssey, he went on to consume every scrap of Norse Mythology he could get his grubby little paws on. At age thirteen he graduated to Tolkien and Heinlein, building up a book collection that soon rivaled the local public library's. In college Mark majored in Journalism and minored in English. Mark has published five books with Camel Press: Things to Do in Denver When You're Un-Dead, What Happens in Vegas Dies in Vegas, I Left My Haunt in San Francisco, Chicago, The Windigo City (Books 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the From the Files of the BSI series) as well as a standalone novel, The Judas Line, which was a finalist for the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award in the Fantasy Category. Mark lives in Denver with his amazingly patient wife, Brandie, and their two sons, Aeden and Gabriel. You can find Mark on the Web at markeverettstone.com.