cover image Deadshifted

Deadshifted

Cassie Alexander. St. Martin’s Paperbacks, $7.99 mass market (304p) ISBN 978-1-250-03794-7

In Alexander’s fourth Edie Spence paranormal romance (after Shapeshifted), a holiday cruise for Edie (a registered nurse) and her shapeshifting lover, Asher, takes a horrific detour when the ship’s other passengers begin to fall ill, go mad, and die. The presence of one of Asher’s shadier former employers suggests that the outbreak is no coincidence. As the nature of the illness gradually becomes clear, Edie realizes that she and her allies face nothing less than the biblical Leviathan. Alexander’s prose is solid and her heroine’s occupation is both unusual and well matched to the story. Otherwise, not a lot distinguishes this Deep Rising takeoff from a myriad of other paranormal adventures. Agent: Michelle Bower, Folio Literary Management. (Jan)