R. A. Finley

Once inside the office, Thia attacked the box with a cutter. Several deep slices had the paper peeling away from a cardboard shell that had been crafted from a shoebox lid and another astonishing amount of tape.

There was a note folded and stuck to the top. The direction "Read First," was embellished with several exclamation points and underlines.

"Okay, Lettie." She smiled, detaching the paper, and prepared to read the usual ramblings about weather and innocuous activities—things like scouring a local artisan's market or finding a new jewelry supplier.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

* * *

(Since the Book Page here for The Stone of Shadows seems to be stuck on the older version of the cover, here is an image of the current version.)