The Eric Carter trilogy by Stephen Blackmoore is one of the best series of urban fantasy on par with Dresden Files in its imaginative use of folklore, myth, and artistic creativity.

Eric Carter, a necromancer who not only sees dead people but can cross back-and-forth between the ream of the living and the dead and can cajole the dead in various ways, flees from Los Angeles to keep his family and friends safe from a gangster who is threatening him through them. But his sister is murdered and he returns to LA to find the killer and bring him (or her?) to justice. Discovering that the murder was not only horrific but magickal as well, Eric is forced to seek the assistance of Santa Muerte, one the goddesses of death. This assistance comes — of course! — with a hefty price tag which comes due in the second book of the series. (The third and final installment of the series is due out this July.)

I highly recommend the Eric Carter trilogy and suggest you pre-order the third book at the same time that you buy the first two so that you don’t miss out on the release of the culmination of Eric’s dealings with Santa Muerte and a whole host of gods and demons and ghosts who would like nothing better than to count him among their number!