Damn Him to Hell

The Zone is Baltimore’s roughest neighborhood, not only because of its lawlessness and poverty but also because of the toxic waste from the Acme chemical plant, which has created magical creatures and given the Zone’s inhabitants strange powers. Zone resident Tina Clancy is one of Saturn’s daughters, able to damn souls to Hell in the name of justice—a power she’s not entirely comfortable with. As Tina contends with the latest wave of weirdness from Acme, she’s tempted by two potential love interests and wondering whether her rage-fueled powers are inherently evil. As in Boyfriend from Hell, Quaid puts a new and satisfying spin on the paranormal formula. The grit of the Zone is realistically portrayed, and Acme is not only a bastion of mad science but also the Zone’s primary employer, making it a more complex villain than readers might expect. (July)