A Rumor Of Gems

Enter the port city of Arcato: an old and magical town set somewhere in our modern world, a town where gemstones have mysteriously begun to appear ... gemstones whose mystical powers aren't mere myth or legend but are frighteningly real, casting their spells for good and ill. And the gemstones aren't all that's awry: Gods and tricksters have also been loosed, sowing chaos in the streets of Arcato.
Caught in this maelstrom of magic and chance are four people whose lives become inextricably intertwined: Lucinda de Francesco, an embittered young woman who has no interest in falling under the influence of gods, gems, or any man; Alasdair, a shaman of sorts who can read and invoke the power of the stones; Sebastian Keane, an antiques dealer who pursues Lucinda with charm and persistence and other mysterious means; and Michael Fortunato, an eleven-year-old boy who - under the influence of gods and gems - may have become a killer.