Hollywood Hauntings Begin

Jaime Vegas, a celebrity necromancer, arrives in Los Angeles to film a sensational TV special about raising Marilyn Monroe's ghost. She's joined by other spiritualists, each with their own ambitions and secrets. The glitz of Hollywood is quickly overshadowed by the supernatural, as Jaime senses restless spirits and a darkness lurking beneath the city's glamorous surface. Her role as both performer and genuine medium puts her at the center of a web of intrigue, skepticism, and hidden danger.

Ghosts in the Garden

While staying in a rented Brentwood mansion, Jaime is haunted by persistent, invisible presences in the garden. These spirits are different—childlike, unable to communicate clearly, but desperate for attention. Their touches and whispers unsettle Jaime, who suspects they are trapped and suffering. As she investigates, she realizes these are not ordinary ghosts, but the fragmented souls of murdered children, unable to move on due to a sinister magical force.

Seances and Showbiz Schemes

The TV special's producers push for dramatic seances, pitting the spiritualists against each other in a contest for screen time and credibility. Jaime must balance her real abilities with the expectations of entertainment, all while navigating rivalries, hidden cameras, and the manipulations of the show's staff. The pressure mounts as the show's format shifts to focus on local unsolved deaths, drawing Jaime deeper into the city's haunted history.

Unseen Children's Whispers

Jaime's attempts to contact the garden spirits are met with confusion and frustration. The children's ghosts can touch her but not speak, and their presence grows more insistent. She enlists the help of supernatural allies—witches, werewolves, and ghosts—to unravel the cause of their entrapment. The investigation points to black magic, ritual sacrifice, and a group of humans who have discovered a way to perform real magic at a terrible cost.

Necromancer's Dilemma

The relentless demands of the dead, the threat of madness that haunts all necromancers, and the ethical burden of her powers weigh heavily on Jaime. She struggles with guilt over the ghosts she cannot help and the risk of losing her sanity. Her personal life is complicated by her feelings for Jeremy, the werewolf Alpha, whose presence is both a comfort and a reminder of the dangers of intimacy in the supernatural world.

Dangerous Rituals Revealed

Through research and supernatural contacts, Jaime and her allies discover a secretive group of educated professionals who have been performing human sacrifices to unlock magical power. The group's experiments have succeeded in creating real magic by using the ashes of their victims, especially children. Their rituals have left a trail of fragmented souls and missing persons, hidden beneath the veneer of respectability.

Allies and Adversaries

Jaime must decide whom to trust as she navigates alliances with witches, werewolves, half-demons, and ghosts. Not all her allies are what they seem, and some may have their own agendas. The cult's reach extends into the paranormal community, and even those who seem harmless may be complicit. Jaime's ability to read people—and spirits—is tested as the danger escalates.

The Occult Underground

The investigation leads Jaime and her companions into the city's occult underground: sex cults, black-market spell dealers, and scam-busting skeptics. They encounter groups dabbling in dark rituals, some for power, others for pleasure, and must separate real threats from harmless pretenders. The search for the child killers becomes a race against time as the cult grows bolder and more desperate.

Human Magic Unleashed

The cult's breakthrough—real human magic—shakes the foundations of the supernatural world. Their spells, powered by the suffering and death of innocents, can weaken, bind, and even kill. Jaime realizes that the cult's leader, May Donovan, is not only a fanatic but may have latent supernatural blood, making her even more dangerous. The boundaries between human and supernatural are blurring, with catastrophic consequences.

Cadaver Dogs and Corpses

With the help of Jeremy in wolf form, Jaime searches the garden for buried bodies. The discovery of child corpses brings the police, media, and public scrutiny. The cult's crimes are exposed, but the danger to Jaime intensifies as she becomes the focus of both the investigation and the cult's wrath. The spirits of the murdered children remain trapped, their suffering unresolved.

The Killing Room

In a desperate move, the cult kidnaps Jaime and her ally Hope, imprisoning them in a soundproofed, concrete "killing room" designed for ritual murder. With the help of ghosts of previous victims, Jaime learns the full extent of the cult's atrocities. She must use all her cunning and power to escape, knowing that failure means death—and the loss of any chance to free the children's souls.

Demons, Werewolves, and Betrayal

Jeremy and Karl Marsten, a reformed werewolf thief, track Jaime's captors and mount a daring rescue. The supernatural community rallies, with ghosts and even a demon lending aid. Trust is tested as Hope's half-demon nature threatens to overwhelm her, and Jaime must confront her own fears about the darkness within herself and her friends.

Raising the Dead

Trapped and outnumbered, Jaime uses her necromantic abilities to raise the dead—first animals, then threatening to do the same to her captors. The display of true supernatural power terrifies the cultists and buys time for rescue. Jaime's actions blur the line between miracle and horror, forcing her to confront the ethical limits of her gift.

Judgment and Justice

With the cult defeated, the supernatural community delivers its own form of justice. The spirits of the murdered children are finally identified and prepared for release. Jaime, Jeremy, and their allies ensure that the cult's leaders are punished, and the threat of human magic is contained—for now.

Spirits Set Free

In a moving ritual, Jaime and her ghostly allies free the trapped spirits of the murdered children, allowing them to pass on in peace. The garden, once a place of horror, becomes a site of closure and healing. Jaime's sense of purpose is renewed, and she finds solace in having helped those who could not help themselves.

Love, Loss, and Letting Go

Jaime reflects on her relationships—with Jeremy, with the dead, and with herself. She confronts her guilt over those she could not save, including the young spiritualist Angelique, and resolves to do better. The experience deepens her understanding of love, loss, and the importance of letting go.

The Price of Power

The events force Jaime to reckon with the dangers and responsibilities of her necromancy. She faces the risk of madness, the burden of saying "no" to the dead, and the temptation to use her power for personal gain. The story ends with Jaime choosing to step back from television fame to focus on meaningful work and self-care.

New Beginnings, Old Fears

With the case closed and the spirits at rest, Jaime and Jeremy look toward a future together, aware of the challenges ahead. The supernatural world remains full of threats and mysteries, but Jaime is stronger, wiser, and more determined to use her gifts for good—even as she acknowledges the fears that will always haunt her.

Characters

Jaime Vegas

Jaime is a forty-something celebrity necromancer, torn between her public persona and her genuine supernatural abilities. She is deeply empathetic, often overwhelmed by the demands of the dead and the risk of madness that comes with her power. Her journey is one of self-acceptance, learning to balance her desire to help with the need for boundaries. Her relationship with Jeremy is a source of both vulnerability and strength, and her arc is defined by her willingness to face her own fears and limitations.

Jeremy Danvers

Jeremy is the calm, disciplined leader of the North American werewolf Pack. He is fiercely loyal, deeply ethical, and struggles with the burdens of leadership and responsibility. His relationship with Jaime reveals a gentler, more vulnerable side, as he navigates the risks of intimacy and the challenges of protecting those he loves. Jeremy's quiet strength and strategic mind are crucial to the investigation and rescue efforts.

Hope Adams

Hope is a young, ambitious half-demon whose power is both a gift and a curse—she is drawn to chaos and violence, which both excites and terrifies her. Her partnership with Jaime is marked by mutual respect and occasional tension, especially as Hope's darker impulses threaten to surface. Hope's struggle is one of self-control and the search for balance between her demonic nature and her desire to do good.

Eve Levine

Eve is a powerful witch and ghost, serving as Jaime's supernatural advisor and occasional rescuer. She is pragmatic, sometimes ruthless, and deeply loyal to those she cares about. Eve's role is to guide Jaime through the complexities of necromancy and the dangers of the afterlife, often pushing her to confront uncomfortable truths. Her own history of moral ambiguity adds depth to her mentorship.

May Donovan

May is the driving force behind the human magic cult, blending intelligence, ambition, and latent supernatural blood. She is both a seeker and a manipulator, willing to sacrifice others for the promise of power. May's psychological complexity lies in her need for control, her fear of inadequacy, and her willingness to rationalize horrific acts for a greater cause.

Karl Marsten

Karl is a former adversary turned ally, whose loyalty is always in question. He is suave, resourceful, and pragmatic, with a history of self-interest that makes others wary. His relationship with Hope is ambiguous, blending protectiveness with a hint of romantic tension. Karl's arc is one of redemption and the struggle to prove himself trustworthy.

Angelique

Angelique is a rising star in the spiritualist world, eager for fame and validation. Her innocence and enthusiasm make her both endearing and vulnerable. Her tragic fate—murdered by the cult—serves as a catalyst for Jaime's guilt and determination to do better. Angelique represents the dangers of ambition in a world where innocence is easily exploited.

Brendan

Brendan is the spirit of a murdered teenager, trapped by the cult's magic. His interactions with Jaime are poignant, revealing the pain of unfinished lives and the longing for justice. Brendan's story personalizes the cult's crimes and motivates Jaime's quest to free the children's souls.

Claudia Wilson

Claudia is Grady's personal assistant, fiercely protective of his interests and reputation. She is skeptical of the supernatural, focused on logistics and damage control. Claudia's presence adds a layer of realism and tension to the showbiz environment, highlighting the clash between belief and skepticism.

Grady

Grady is a British spiritualist, more showman than seer, whose theatricality masks insecurity and a genuine fear of the supernatural. His rivalry with Jaime is both comic and revealing, as he is forced to confront the reality behind his act. Grady's arc is one of self-preservation and reluctant respect for true power.

Plot Devices

Dual Worlds: Supernatural and Mundane

The novel juxtaposes the glitzy, skeptical world of Hollywood with the hidden reality of the supernatural. This duality is used to explore themes of authenticity, performance, and the cost of truth. The contrast between showbiz fakery and real magic drives much of the plot's irony and suspense.

Fragmented Souls and Ritual Sacrifice

The central mystery revolves around a group of humans who have discovered a way to perform real magic through ritual sacrifice, especially of children. The use of ashes as a magical ingredient is both a literal and symbolic device, representing the commodification of innocence and the dangers of unchecked ambition.

Unreliable Allies and Shifting Trust

Jaime's investigation is complicated by the uncertainty of whom to trust. Allies may be adversaries, and even friends have hidden motives. This device keeps the reader guessing and mirrors Jaime's own psychological journey toward discernment and self-reliance.

Foreshadowing and Red Herrings

The narrative is rich with foreshadowing—ghostly touches, cryptic warnings, and subtle hints about the cult's methods. Red herrings abound, as the investigation leads through false leads and dead ends, heightening the sense of danger and urgency.

The Price of Power

The story repeatedly explores the costs of supernatural power: the risk of madness for necromancers, the temptation of chaos for half-demons, the moral compromises required for survival. This device deepens the psychological stakes and grounds the fantasy in real emotional consequences.

Ritual and Performance

The motif of performance—on stage, on camera, in ritual—serves as a metaphor for the characters' struggles with authenticity and self-presentation. Jaime's dual role as performer and true medium is mirrored in the cult's blend of scientific method and magical belief.

Analysis

No Humans Involved is a supernatural thriller that deftly blends horror, mystery, and psychological drama, using the glitzy backdrop of Hollywood to explore deeper questions of authenticity, power, and responsibility. At its core, the novel is about the cost of seeing—and helping—those whom society ignores: the lost, the dead, the exploited. Kelley Armstrong uses the lens of necromancy to examine the burdens of empathy and the dangers of unchecked ambition, both magical and mundane. The story's villains are not monsters but ordinary people driven to atrocity by the promise of power, a chilling reminder of the darkness within. Jaime's journey is one of self-acceptance, learning to balance compassion with self-care, and finding the courage to act even when the cost is high. The novel's ultimate message is that true strength lies not in power over others, but in the willingness to face one's own fears, help the helpless, and let go of the past. In a world where the boundaries between performance and reality are always shifting, No Humans Involved challenges us to look beyond the surface—and to listen to the voices that cannot speak for themselves.

Last updated: May 19, 2025