'Every time you used magic, it used you back. Sure you could magic yourself a photographic memory for that big test, for that big interview, for that big stock market job. And all it cost you was a nice case of liver failure. Or the memory of your lover's name.' Allison Beckstrom knows better than most that there's a price to be paid for using magic: she's suffered her fair share of migraines and holes in her memory during her time working as a Hound, tracing spells back to their casters. But now Allie's been visibly marked by it. On top of that, she can't remember much of the last few weeks of her life -- including the man she supposedly fell in love with. But things are about to get worse. Allie's father, a prominent Portland businessman, has died recently, but he's not about to go gentle into that good night. He was a powerful sorcerer, and his spirit wants to trade magical knowledge in exchange for real estate -- inside Allie's head ...