Scarlett Bernard knows about personal space: step within ten feet of her, and any supernatural spells or demonic forces are instantly defused—vampires and werewolves become human again, and witches can’t get out so much as a “hocus pocus.” This special skill makes her a null and very valuable to Los Angeles’s three most powerful magical communities, who utilize her ability to scrub crime scenes clean of all traces of the paranormal to keep humanity, and the LAPD, in the dark. But one night Scarlett’s late arrival to a grisly murder scene reveals her agenda and ends with LAPD’s Jesse Cruz tracking her down to strike a deal: he’ll keep quiet about the undead underworld if she helps solve the case. Their pact doesn’t sit well with Dash, the city’s chief bloodsucker, who fears his whole vampire empire is at stake. And when clues start to point to Scarlett, it’ll take more than her unique powers to catch the real killer and clear her name.About the AuthorMelissa F. Olson was born and raised in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and studied film and literature at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. After graduation, and a brief stint bouncing around the Hollywood studio system, Melissa moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where she eventually acquired a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, a husband, a mortgage, two kids, and two comically oversized dogs—not at all in that order. Dead Spots is her first novel.

Alex McKenna is the new Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of the Bureau of Paranormal Investigations—the division tasked with investigating crimes involving shades.Or vampires, as they're more widely known.Children have been going missing, and agents are routinely being slaughtered. It's up to McKenna, and some unlikely allies, to get to the bottom of the problem, and find the kids before it's too late.Nightshades is a new gritty urban fantasy from Melissa F. Olson.

The Bureau of Preternatural Investigations returns in Switchback, the sequel to Melissa F. Olson's Nightshades. Three weeks after the events of Nightshades, things are finally beginning to settle for the Chicago branch of the BPI, but the brief respite from the horror of the previous few weeks was never destined to last. The team gets a call from Switch Creek, WI, where a young man has been arrested on suspicion of being a shade. The suspect is held overnight, pending DNA testing, but seemingly escapes in a terrifying and bloody massacre. But is there more to the jailbreak than a simple quest for freedom? At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied. **Review PRAISE FOR NIGHTSHADES "Melissa F. Olson writes with razorblades made of moonlight, cutting through shadows to share with us the beating heart of her characters and story. My only problem with being immersed in Nightshades is that I had to keep coming up for air. If I could breathe words, they’d be hers." ― Charles de Lint, World Fantasy Award Winner “A page burner that left me wanting to be able to one click that next book! You will not be able to turn away from Nightshades”! ― Shannon Mayer, USA Today bestselling author of the Elemental series "Nightshades is a fast-paced, action-filled clash between federal agents and vampires. For anyone looking for a new twist on the old mythology of bloodsucking fiends, Melissa F. Olson knows how to deliver the sharp end of the stake.” ― Christopher Farnsworth, author of The President's Vampire and Killfile "Nightshades is a tautly written paranormal mystery, and Melissa Olson’s bloodsuckers don’t screw around. This is a suspenseful, fast-paced, enjoyable read―a bloody-knuckled X-Files with a dash of Silence of the Lambs, featuring the scariest vampires this side of Peter Watts’ Blindsight." ―Marko Kloos, author of the Frontlines series About the Author MELISSA F. OLSON is the author of the Scarlett Bernard series of urban fantasy novels for Amazon's 47North, the Nightshades series, and the mystery The Big Keep. She lives in Madison, WI, with her family and two comically oversized dogs.