An eviction. A stolen gemstone. A hidden network. Will retrieving her precious obsidian get Tricky killed? Book 1 - Sometimes it pays to be Tricky Damn and blast! That rancid piece of excrement, Carter, has had her ransacked out of Clancy! How's she going to get her obsidian back? When Tricky returns to her cottage to find it turned upside down, she knows her time in Clancy is over. After they burned her mother at the stake, Randolf Carter, head of the district, is spreading lies and suspicion about her kind. She has three days to leave or face punishment. But it wasn't just an ordinary ransacking - they were searching for something . Tricky uses her gifts to trace the energy of Carter's lackeys left behind and spies a winged creature among them: a jackdaw. Swift and wily, it pinched her precious gemstone, a piece of black obsidian. But at whose bidding? Communicating with birds is a rare ability and she knows all who possess it. Tricky wants her stone back, but coming up against Carter and his corrupt network won't be easy - especially now she can't risk being seen in the district. In fact, it'll be decidedly tricky, but she hadn't earn her nickname for nothing. In a post-apocalyptic future, new-age witch, Tricky, must risk her life to retrieve what is hers. Adept at manipulating energy and time as well as communicating with trees, she's drawn into something bigger than ownership of a gemstone, and finds out that sometimes it pays to be a little bit tricky. Dead Lake is the first book in a new thrilling paranormal fantasy series, set a few hundred years from now in a post-apocalyptic world. For those that like new-age witches, strong female characters and dark dealings in a dystopian world, Tricky's fast-paced adventures will capture the imagination. "Miranda Kate has crafted a thoroughly believable magical world, and a protagonist that you'll want to be your best mate." Michael Wombat, Author of The Raven's Wing "You'll be bewitched and beguiled by Tricky and left wanting to spend more time with her. An elemental fantasy with bite and attitude. I can't wait for more." Lisa Shambrook, Author of The Seren Stone Chronicles