Pretty Evil

Pretty absurd, more like. Alison "Sunnie" Clark is an honest real estate agent and a good church-going woman with a special gift for discerning evil spirits. Sunnie won't sleep with her plastic-surgeon boyfriend, but her three best friends are players of the highest order: Rice, a bestselling mystery author; Coach, a womanizing pro football player sidelined by an injury; and Geffen, a money-hungry playboy. All three spend more time chasing tail than praising God, so Sunnie promises to find them the perfect Beverly Hills house for their get-rich-quick plan (an exclusive bed and breakfast/party space) if they commit to go to church. But the house she sells them, a former upscale brothel, crawls with evil, as Sunnie senses from the get-go. Its inhabitants, a ghoul named Crèp and a nymphomaniacal she-devil named Vixx, are determined to prevent the three handsome men from settling into the house. Vixx finds creative ways to wreck their lives, transforming herself into each of their dream women and bedding them in every possible way. The men learn lots about themselves, of course; Sunnie finds love; and the power of prayer wins over all. A nonsensical plot and eye-roll–inducing preaching make this a dull and sludgy read. Agent, Sara Camili. (Oct.)