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Laura Blackstone series

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Skin Deep (Laura Blackstone

Skin Deep (Laura Blackstone #1) by Mark Del Franco

Face Off (Laura Blackstone

Face Off (Laura Blackstone #2) by Mark Del Franco

Laura Blackstone series by Mark Del Franco,, author of the Connor Grey series, both set in the same universe.

Genres and Sub-Genres[]

Urban Fantasy / Alternate History & World / Intrigue & Espionage

Series Description or Overview[]

The Laura Blackstone series is set in the same world as the Connor Grey series

From Publishers Weekly: Murder, mayhem and multiple identities merge in this electric series opener. In an alternate present where fey and human entities coexist more or less peacefully, Janice Crawford, a druid working for Washington, D.C., SWAT, is nearly killed in a mission gone awry. Mariel Tate, a high-ranking agent within a global security firm, InterSec, investigates, finding ties to a fey history exhibit at the National Archives curated by Laura Blackstone, the PR director for the Fey Guild. The catch is that Janice, Mariel and Laura are all one woman who keeps her personas separate by magic and sheer willpower...(an) addictively fast-paced narrative and fully believable setting. ~ Mark Del Franco

Lead's Species & Abilities[]

  • Druidess, fey, Paranormal cop & agent, ability to change personas

Primary Supe[]

  • Faeries

What Sets it Apart[]

  • The lead has three different personas

Narrative Type and Narrators[]

  • First Person narrative told by Janice Crawford, protagonist.

Books in Series[]

Laura Blackstone series:

  1. Skin Deep (2009)
  2. Face Off (2010)

Other Series by Author onsite[]

World Building[]

Setting[]

Washington DC, post convergence — Alternate America-World, Alternate History

Places:

  • Tara, Ireland: location of the Seelie Court in Ireland

Supernatural Elements[]

✥ Para-cops, supe spies, Druids, Faeries, leanansidhe, glamours, brownies,

Glossary:[]

  • Inverni fairy:

Groups & Organizations:[]

  • DC SWAT team: Laura works for them as Janice Crawford;
  • Fey Guild: Laura is head of PR for them in Washington DC, as Laura; Guildmaster Orrin Ap Rhys;
  • InterSec: international intelligence agency—Laura works for them as Mariel Tate;
  • Inverni Fairies:
  • Legacy Foundation: Terrorist group; more than that: doing something much bigger
  • Archives:

World[]

✥ Convergence is a catastrophic event in the early part of the 1900s that most believe began in Faerie and caused parts of Faerie to merge with our world. The Guild is a diplomatic embassy for High Queen Maeve of the Seelie Court in Tara, Ireland. It's also a working police force for magic-related crimes, including InterSec, the International Global Security Agency which is staffed by the fey and governments of other nations. ~ Goodreads reader

✥ Something happened many years ago that merged the Fairy world and our own. Forced to integrate, the various races now walk a political tightrope of intrigue and terrorism. The landscape of DC is different than it is today, but that would be expected with a world that has so many differences than our own; mostly the location of buildings and important locations to the Fae. ~ GR Reader | Cid Tyler

Protagonist[]

  • Laura Blackstone — public relations for the Fey Guild in Washington DC
  • Janice Crawford — SWAT
  • Mariel Tate — Old fey, InterSec operative, well to do—

✥ Laura Blackstone, Mariel Tate, and Janice Crawford are all the same person thanks to Laura's fey ability to create alternate persona's and switch between them when the need calls for it. She can create any persona needed to do her job and in this case avert a complete disaster. ~ Gr Reader | Bry

✤ Laura Black is a druid who can change her appearance. She is both the Fey Guild's public relations director and a secret agent for the International Security Agency. And now she'll have to choose where her loyalties lie when a political war breaks out between the fey and human populations. ~ Mark Del Franco

✤ Laura Blackstone is a Druidess who is head of PR for the Fey Guild in Washington DC. She's also well to do Mariel Tate, an operative in the international intelligence agency with enough connections and respect to get high ranking DC officials to give her what she needs. And to help out the DC Swat Team, she's Janice Crawford of InterSec, a Druidess with limited powers struggling to make ends meet.~ Goodreads Reader

Sidekick[]

  • Name: / What: / Sidekick-to: / About: / Book First Seen:

Characters Chart[]

Characters What About
Laura Black / Mariel Tate / Janice Crawford druidess, fey, para-cop Fey Guild's PR director & ISA secret agent; InterSec; ability to change personas; 
"Jono", Jonathan Sinclair cop important secrets;
Terryn MacCullen InterSec boss; Inverni faerie Laura's superior; unclaimed under-King for his clan; Cress's lover;
Cress leanansidhe; medic has control of her essence sucking; Terryn's lover;
Gabrio Sanchez teamed up with Janice shot in the neck
Saffrin Corril brownie assistant phenomenal recall
Liam Wilson assistant shares an office space
Genda Boone Danann fairy shares an office space
Lawrence Scales FBI supervisor handling Sanchez
Captain Aaron Foyle SWAT Captain
Donor Elfenkonig Elvenking in Germany
Orrin ap Rhys Guildsmaster part of the team who created the Treaty of 1914
Resha Dunne merrow Solitary representative on the Guild BoD
Senator Hornbeck anti-fey Fey Relations Committee
Maeve High Queen Seelie Court in Tara, Ireland
Corman Deegan Druid out sick that night
Salvatorre Gianni SWAT
Jonathon Sinclair DC SWAT team helpps try to thwart a major terrorist attack;
Sanchez SWAT man teamed up with Janice is shot in the neck;
DraigenmacCullen Inverni underKing leader of the Inverni clan, Terryn's sister, under threat of assasination, bk-2;

To expand the table, in Edit–Visual mode, right-press on a Row of the table (Control-press on a Mac)—choose add Row or Column. Or, in Source Mode: copy-paste rows.

Mark Del Franco

Mark Del Franco

Author[]

Mark Del Franco

Bio: Mark Del Franco's first novel UNSHAPELY THINGS was published in 2007 by Ace Books. That title began the urban fantasy series featuring Connor Grey and continues in UNQUIET DREAMS (2008) and UNFALLEN DEAD (2009). In July 2009, a new series featuring Guild agent Laura Blackstone will begin with SKIN DEEP. ~ Goodreads More: Mark Del Franco

Cover Artist[]

Artist: Bibliography: Cover: Face Off

Other Contributors:[]

  • Audio Book Narrator: — Source:
  • Editor: — Source:

Publishing Information[]

  • Publisher: Ace
  • Author Page:
  1. Skin Deep: Paperback, 304 pages, Pub: July 28th 2009—ISBN 0441017436
  2. Face Off: Paperback, 322 pages, Pub: July 27th 2010 (first pub: June 10th 2010)—ISBN 044101903X

Book Cover Blurbs[]

✤ BOOK ONE—Skin Deep (2009) : She'll need to keep up appearances-if she wants to stay alive...Being an undercover agent has its occupational hazards, but Laura Blackstone makes it look easy. As a spy for a fey intelligence agency, she uses her magical abilities to create disguises that are skin deepglamours that must never be compromised. But when Laura's worlds collide she'll have more to worry about than retiring an identity; she may just lose her life. ~ Goodreads | Skin Deep

✤ BOOK TWO—Face Off (2010): Laura Black is a druid who can change her appearance. She is both the Fey Guild's public relations director and a secret agent for the International Security Agency. And now she'll have to choose where her loyalties lie when a political war breaks out between the fey and human populations. ~Goodreads | Face Off and ~ Mark Del Franco

First Sentences[]

  1. Skin Deep (2009) — As she leaned back in her seat, the van's motion vibrated sgainst the base of Laura Blackstone's skull.
  2. Face Off (2010) — The desolate road stretched offinto the darkness like a black scar through the woods.

Quotes[]

Trivia[]

Awards[]

Read Alikes (similar elements)[]

Druids:

Mage cops, spies:

Fae

Goodreads suggestions:

See Category links at bottom of page

Notes[]

See Also[]

Category links at bottom of page

External References[]

Books:

World, Characters, etc:

Reviews:  

Artist: 

Author:

Community and Fan Sites:

Gallery of Book Covers[]

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