Frost Burned

You should have brought the van, said my stepdaughter. She sounded like herself, though the expression on her face was still a little tight.

I shouldn t have brought anything, including us, I muttered, shoving harder on the hatch. My Rabbit had a lot of cargo space for a little car. We d only been here twenty minutes. I shop at Walmart all the time, and I never come out with this much stuff. We d even left before the big midnight reveal. And still I had all this stuff. Most of which had not been on sale. Who does that?

Oh, come on, she scoffed, determinedly cheerful. It s Black Friday. Everyone shops Black Friday.

I looked up from the stubborn lid of my poor beleaguered car and glanced around the parking lot of Home Depot. Obviously, I muttered.

Home Depot wasn t open at midnight on Black Friday, but the parking lot was huge and was doing a good job of absorbing the overflow from Walmart. A bicycle couldn t have parked in the Walmart lot. I wouldn t have believed there were this many people in the Tri-Cities and this was only one of three Walmarts, the one we d decided would be the least busy.

We should go to Target next, Jesse said, her thoughtful voice sending chills down my spine. They have the new Instant Spoils: The Dread Pirate s Booty Four game on sale for half off the usual price, and it was set for release tonight at midnight. There were rumors that problems in production meant before-Christmas shortages.

Codpieces and Golden Corsets: The Dread Pirate s Booty Three, better known as CAGCTDPBT I kid you not; if you couldn t say the letters ten times in a row without stumbling, you weren t a Real Player was the game of choice for the pack. Twice a month, they brought their laptops and a few desktops and set them up in the meeting room and played until dawn. Vicious, nasty werewolves playing pirate games on the Internet it was pretty intense, and I was a little surprised that we hadn t had any bodies. Yet.

Shortage rumors carefully

Patricia Briggs is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series and the Alpha and Omega novels.

The characters and events in this world just keep getting better and better A fantastic book! Fresh Fiction
 
There s a great story here of family, friendship, and love. SFRevu
 
The arc of the Mercy Thompson series has showcased Briggs s incredible gift for delivering character development alongside intriguing plots filled with thrills and chills. This latest installment is worth every penny and moment of your time! RT Book Reviews

More Praise for the Mercy Thompson Novels

I love these books. Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author

An excellent read with plenty of twists and turns It left me wanting more. Kim Harrison, #1 New York Times bestselling author

The best new urban fantasy series I ve read in years. Kelley Armstrong, #1 New York Times bestselling author

In the increasingly crowded field of kick-ass supernatural heroines, Mercy stands out as one of the best. Locus

Action-packed and with more than a few satisfying emotional payoffs...Patricia Briggs at the top of her game. The Speculative Herald

The characters are all realistic and vibrant. The Independent

These are fantastic adventures, and Mercy reigns. SFRevu

The world building is incredibly lush and subsuming...a fantastic urban fantasy adventure. Fresh Fiction

Outstanding. Charles de Lint, Fantasy & Science Fiction