“There is an odd quirk in the human mind that makes a fearful man prefer to go quietly to a wicked-looking, gnarled "witch" for a countercharm than to a respectable licensed sorcerer or an accredited priest of the Church.”

“Deep inside, the majority of people had the sneaking suspicion that evil was more powerful than good and could be counteracted only by more evil.”

“Jared snaps his fingers. "Yeah, that's it. Rochelle. Jesus, Gunner, you know how to pick 'em. Both of them, sexy as hell and-""Jared?" He looks up from his ice. "We best girlfriends now? Gonna chat about our love lives? You know why I hired you, man? I've been surrounded by loudmouth assholes my whole life. You were real quiet during the interview.""Got it," he says.”

“All malice, real and imagined, Ralegh's and the KIng's, will die upon the instant stroke of an axe. Be buried with him. His faith, then? Whatever remains will be parted. Some will go with the head and some with the headless body. Let them look for each other on Judgment Day. Perhaps on that day, in the haste of it, the bodies of traitors will have to settle for heads other than their own. Some inevitable mismatching of villians and rogues will take place. And one fine bony fellow will spy his skull upon another's body. Then another. And then maybe we shall be witness to the brawl and battle of the bones...”

“Ebola haunted Zaire because of corruption and political repression. The virus had no secret powers, nor was it unusually contagious. For centuries Ebola had lurked in the jungles of central Africa. Its emergence into human populations required the special assistance of humanity's greatest vices : greed, corruption, arrogance, tyranny, and callousness.”

“God doesn't give a man anything more precious than a good woman.”

“A Lemon Gingertini," the dark-haired girl says. She curls her hands neatly under her chin and watches me mix the ginger syrup. "Oh, could you go light on the ice, too?""Sure thing," I say. Damn. I can't place her face."And make sure to add a slice of 'I'll kick your ass myself if you ever f*** over my best friend again'?" Her sweet voice changes to venom-laced.”