Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Paranormal Payback by Jim Butcher, Holly Black, Kim Harrison, Faith Hunter, Kevin Hearne, Delilah S. Dawson, Tanya Huff, RR Virdi Published by Ace on April 14, 2026
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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In this short story collection, our heroes get what’s due to them—with a supernatural flair.
But the injustices that have been holding them back might cost them more than they realized. . . .
In “Mister Petty,” a brand-new Dresden Files story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher, a woman hires Goodman Grey to get back at her cheating husband. She’s about to find out that Grey isn’t your ordinary detective—he’s a professional monster. And he’s going to balance the scales.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, “Dying Isn’t Just for the Young” follows an elderly widow reckoning with family scheming to take away her independence in a world infected by a disease of vampirism.
New York Times bestselling author Faith Hunter’s “Razors and Revenge” finds the vampire bounty hunter Shiloh awaiting her judgement at the hands of the Dark Queen, fresh off a brutal werewolf attack and the loss of a dear friend. But Shiloh’s not just a vampire anymore—and the wolfish instincts growing inside her are howling for blood.
And Kim Harrison takes us to the #1 New York Times bestselling series of the Hollows in her story “Dog-eared.” The demon Algaliarept makes a bargain with the dangerously insane Newt, the last female demon, to punish an arrogant wizard for abusing his precious magical texts—but how ruthless is Al willing to be to get his petty vengeance?
ALSO INCLUDES STORIES BY Jennifer Blackstream * Maurice Broaddus * Delilah S. Dawson * Kevin Hearne * Tanya Huff * Kerrie L. Hughes * R. L. King * R.R. Virdi
I enjoy these collection of short stories because it gives a view into the author and sometimes series. For authors I already love, it’s both a connection between main stories and often an opportunity for them to further develop a side character. I had a hard time getting it read on my time schedule though.
Mister Petty by Jim Butcher
I have read the entire Dresden Files series on audio, including the novella collections. It’s amazing on audio. As expected, Mister Petty uses the full beauty of the world but with a character I don’t recall from the main books. Goodman Grey has some sort of magic and a human assistant. They aren’t exactly private investigators, more like karma justice.
A woman comes to Grey wanting revenge on her husband for ruining her life. It’s worse than she knows really. There are plenty of financial shenanigans with powerful players like the ghouls, and Marcone to make things worse. I had fun with Grey’s investigation and handling of the case.
The Underground Goddess by Kevin Hearne
I got another story which was just what I like, the expansion of a side character. One of the Polish witches has an elderly friend Babcia who knits her a lovely scarf every year and they have tea together. Babcia has been tricked out of all her money by criminals who got her to verify information on the phone. Anna the younger witch takes it to the coven. Malina originally was against going after the scammers. But Anna convinced all the younger witches and eventually they all decided to pinch the scammers.
The divination showed it was not just human scammers but something seriously wrong. When they went to the building it was where the Warsaw Uprising had happened. In the basement, they found the creatures, and humans and more. A bit of a battle occurred but then goddesses got involved.
Dying Isn’t Just for the Young by Holly Black
There’s a new disease which is like vampires or a bit like zombies, happening across the US. Beryl is at the hospital with her husband, Nigel, as this begins. The hospital takes in some who have money, and soon there is a whole ward of infected ones. Nigel’s lungs fail and he dies.
Beryl’s children come for the funeral, although they are concerned about the vampire disease. Diane and David both try to get their mother to come live with them so they can sell the home (worth millions). She goes on with some of Nigel’s work and the lawyer has set things up with Nigel’s wishes.
Then Beryl fell and hurt some ribs, and Diane and David came and got her to sign paperwork while she was medicated. They push her to come stay with Diane. They keep her drugged so they can sell her house, take her money, put her in a home. Beryl finds out and has a different idea for the rest of her life. I was rooting for Beryl rather than her awful kids.
A Midsummer’s Night’s Scheming by Delilah S Dawson
A funny tale of Keelie with her horse, Marigold, her donkey, Gary and her pitbull, Peach Pit. She takes a tumble and learns she has some powers and she can talk to Gary. It’s quite hilarious. Keelie has other priorities though. Mark cheated on her sister, Cash, with her best friend, Samantha. Cash had left town for six years but was back now. Keelie wanted Mark and Sam to leave her sister alone or leave town.
Keelie goes to work and learns from her boss that she is a witch and many people in town are. She will have a special skill but she doesn’t know what it is. But when she figures it out she will use it to help her sister. And she and Gary, the donkey have solidified their friendship. Keelie and Gary are fun, and she has a sense of karma I enjoyed.
Contained by Tanya Huff
Henry, the five hundred year old vampire makes graphic comics and helps his friend RCMP Inspector Jack Elson with the non human crimes. Various predators have decided here that Henry must not be so tough since he doesn’t really hunt anymore. Henry shows them what they forgot about him, as he tracks the killer who murdered his friend. I liked Henry and Jack. I would definitely read more about them.
Dirt by Jennifer Blackstream
There are plenty of interesting characters here. Again, we get a witch who is a private investigator, along with necromancers, and a pixie. A necromancer is concerned about her revenge plots that hurt a young man. She “hires” the witch to help her find out who raised a zombie to go after a young man. Alex is a college student who helps others get revenge with planted cameras or minor traps. So they follow his list of people he “helped.” The whole thing is a twisty revenge plot.
Black Bond by Maurice Broaddus
yes each story is a revenge plot and I have to say I am on board for it. Here we have two young black men who grew up together. One went into the military and the other ended up dying from cancer. The ghost of the cancer victim is traveling with his old friend, the military man to many places of their childhood. We see the intelligence and competence of the military man, and the bigotry he faces.
Dog-Eared by Kim Harrison
Set in the world of the Hollows, at the time of the first book roughly, the main characters are Al, Ceri, Newt and Nick. Nick is summoning Al to learn curses and spells. Al is trying to learn as much as he can about Rachel. All three in the ever after are in pain and it’s not a good situation. Overall, everyone is trying to manipulate others. But I have a soft spot for each of them in the ever after, but not Nick.
Razors and Revenge by Faith Hunter
Jane Yellowrock is the Dark Queen. The world is in that series with characters I know. Shiloh was a witch who got turned into a vampire. She and Atticus went to catch crazy werewolves. Atticus was killed. But Shiloh brought down three werewolves and survived but was bitten. She did not turn furry. Here she goes out with three other vamps to track down the other werewolves. She works her vampire, witch and new werewolf skills to get revenge, survive and build a new career.
A Clean Break by RL King
I haven’t read this author previously. A professor with magic ends up at a broken down motel because his reservation was wrong. He is headed to Comic-Con but won’t be able to get his reserved room until tomorrow. The motel is creepy and has less than reputable guests. In his room, he sees a red haze and realizes it is a ghost of a young woman in a maid uniform. He ends up learning what happened to her and helping her with her revenge.
Grave Payback by RR Virdi
I’ve read short stories from this series but never the actual books. But I want to read them. Vincent the main character is a soul without a body who does paranormal investigations. He takes the body of the recently dead and investigates how they died to get vengeance or justice. In this case, a miner knows a mine has been skimping on protection equipment. He’s collected information on every death and every investigation. Now he is dead.
The Broom by Kerrie L. Hughes
I really liked this too. There is a brother -sister team who are half fae- half witch. Their father was fae and their mother a witch. Now they are looking at buying a building to open a coffeehouse. The realtor said it is haunted. It is, but not by a ghost. They have the skills to deal with it and give payback to those needing it.
These are all excellent! I really enjoyed them. There are four stories where I have read the main series: Butcher, Hearne, Harrison and Hunter. These are really fun like an gift of an expanded vignette in that world. Having all the background of the other characters, and how the world works makes those the easiest to read.
The others are all a bit more effort to assimilate a new world but ones I would like to learn. Holly Black has a standalone, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown which her story is in that world. It looks like Tanya Huff‘s story is connected to the Henry Fitzroy series. Jennifer Blackstream’s story is related to her Blood Trails series. The RL King short is linked to the Alastair Stone Chronicles, originally she misnamed a trilogy, which now has forty books. RR Virdi has the Grave Report series which is the word for his tale and one I already wanted to read from another anthology.
Really I want to read all the series of authors I have not read previously, because the stories were all very good. The subject matter of paranormal payback is perfect. I guess I am petty and love revenge, at least in fiction.
About Delilah S. Dawson
Delilah S. Dawson writes whimsical and dark Fantasy for adults and teens. Her Blud series for Pocket includes Wicked as They Come, Wicked After Midnight, and Wicked as She Wants, winner of the RT Book Reviews Steampunk Book of the Year and May Seal of Excellence for 2013. Her YA debut, Servants of the Storm, is a Southern Gothic Horror set in Savannah, GA, and HIT is about teen assassins in a bank-owned America. Her Geekrotica series under pseudonym Ava Lovelace includes The Lumberfox and The Superfox with The Dapperfox on the way. Look for Wake of Vultures from Orbit Books in October 2015, written as Lila Bowen.
Delilah teaches writing classes at LitReactor and wrote the Island of Mesmer world for Storium.
Delilah lives with her husband, two small children, a horse, a dog, and two cats in Atlanta.
About Faith Hunter
Faith Hunter, fantasy writer, was born in Louisiana and raised all over the south. She writes three Urban Fantasy series: the Skinwalker series, featuring Jane Yellowrock, a Cherokee skinwalker who hunts rogue vampires. The Soulwood series, featuring earth magic user Nell Ingram. And the Rogue Mage novels, a dark, urban, post-apocalyptic, fantasy series featuring Thorn St. Croix, a stone mage. (There is a role playing game based on the series, ROGUE MAGE.)
Under the pen name Gwen Hunter, she writes action-adventure, mysteries, and thrillers. As Faith and Gwen, she has 30+ books in print in 29 countries.
Hunter writes full-time, tries to keep house, and is a workaholic with a passion for travel, jewelry making, white-water kayaking, and writing. She and her husband love to RV, traveling with their rescued Pomeranians to whitewater rivers all over the Southeast.
About Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and a new steampunk series, the Cinder Spires. His resume includes a laundry list of skills which were useful a couple of centuries ago, and he plays guitar quite badly. An avid gamer, he plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games on PC and console, and LARPs whenever he can make time for it. Jim currently resides mostly inside his own head, but his head can generally be found in his home town of Independence, Missouri.
Jim goes by the moniker Longshot in a number of online locales. He came by this name in the early 1990′s when he decided he would become a published author. Usually only 3 in 1000 who make such an attempt actually manage to become published; of those, only 1 in 10 make enough money to call it a living. The sale of a second series was the breakthrough that let him beat the long odds against attaining a career as a novelist.
All the same, he refuses to change his nickname.
About Kevin Hearne
Kevin Hearne lives with his wife, daughter, and doggies in Canada. Kevin hugs trees, pets doggies, and rocks out to heavy metal. He also thinks tacos are a pretty nifty idea. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling series the Iron Druid Chronicles, the Seven Kennings trilogy that begins with A PLAGUE OF GIANTS, and co-author of the Tales of Pell with Delilah S. Dawson.
About Kim Harrison
Kim Harrison, author of the New York Times #1 best selling Hollows series, was born in Detroit and lived most her her life within an easy drive. After gaining her bachelors in the sciences, she moved to South Carolina, where she remained until recently returning to Michigan because she missed the snow. She’s currently working on the Peri Reed Chronicles, and when not at her desk, Kim is most likely to be found landscaping her new/old Victorian home, in the garden, or out on the links.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 26-COYER
These all sound fantastic! I love that you get a story from so many well known urban fantasy authors in one place😁
And they are all good, not a dud in the bunch. It’s easy to love the ones in the world I already know.
I read The Coldest Girl in Coldtown many years back and loved it. I’ve read a couple of the Dresden Files and of course Kevin Hearne. I’d probably enjoy this.
I think you would. They are REALLY good. I used to think of you as more of a romance reader but you are doing the mystery / thriller/ urban fantasy / fantasy stuff I love as well.
This was excellent and I am glad to see you enjoyed them as well. Great review Anne.
They really were so good, and so many favorite authors too.
I’ve been listening to this one. Overall, I’ve enjoyed most of the stories. Some like Hollows and Jane Yellowrock, I don’t read and felt a bit lost because I know they are long established series. These UF anthologies from Penguin are always really good.
They are great. I was surprised how much I loved the ones from series I haven’t read. That isn’t always true.
I agree. It’s neat getting a side story and side character update in series I love when reading an antho like this. Neat that you got to try some new authors, too.
yes even better that the new authors were great and I’d like to read their series now.
I love these kind of short story collections. Great review, Anne💜
Thanks Jonetta. I have had some great experiences here. If I choose carefully the genre, I usually enjoy them.
While I generally enjoy a well-told short story, I’m wary of anthologies and collections, because I’m also very picky. But I already know and love series from SIX of the listed authors!! I think this one has my name on it. Thank you for sharing:)).
It’s really excellent. I hope you enjoy it.
Nice line up that’s for sure!!!
yes it has so many of my favorite authors.