De Lint is a prolific writer of short fiction. Most of his tales take place in urban settings, especially fictional Newford, a place where magic mixes with modern urban life, often as gently and subtly as it does in "Seven for a Secret." For instance, in "Small Deaths" (1993) disc jockey Zoe Brill meets Gordon Wolfe, "A serial killer of people's hopes," who says, "I'm the bringer of small deaths." He brings those moments when something goes wrong, perhaps a failed romance, that forever changes a person's life. His supernatural influence is even more subtle than that of Malicorne. Like "Small Deaths," "In the House of My Enemy" (1993) takes place in the imaginary city of Newford. Like "Seven for a Secret," this story deals with an important social issue, child abuse. Whereas Malicorne's magic is subtle, and Gordon Wolfe's is scarcely recognized, the magic of...