The year is 1959, and strange events are brewing in Paris, a city where nothing (and no one) is as it seems.

We meet Will, who hails from Detroit and works at an international advertising agency, which is also a front for the CIA. Then there's the enchanting Zoya, who could cast a spell with her looks—and, as a witch, she often does (she also recently impaled her ex on a spike).

Inspector Vidot, on the other hand, is a hardworking police detective who cherishes a quiet evening at home. Until he follows a lead on a particularly gruesome murder—and finds himself turned into a flea. And the adventure wouldn't be complete without Oliver, a fun-loving American patrician who has come to Paris to launch a literary journal with the support of certain secretive friends.

Add a few chance encounters, a chorus of angry witches, and a weaponized LSD program, and you have Toby Barlow's Babayaga: a wickedly sharp tale of the City of Light that's part love story, part thriller, and pure brilliance.