Teddy Bears Never Die

For this disarming tale of horror, Yeeun (The New Seoul Park Jelly Massacre) threads a sinuous murder mystery through a rollicking supernatural adventure steeped in Korean folklore. Its heroine, Hwayoung, is a 17-year-old squatter in Yamu City, on the run from her landlord following his botched attempt to traffic her to a “psycho killer.” Her companion, Doha, is a teddy bear that became magically possessed by a teenage boy’s soul after it was displaced by a car accident. When the two discover that they were acquainted before Doha’s accident and that they were both orphaned by the same mass-poisoning incident, they join forces to expose the true agents of their fates and restore Doha’s soul to his body. Yeeun subjects her characters to a brisk succession of wild, often violent escapades involving a contract killer, a crooked politician, demons from the afterlife, and more. The result is suspenseful, scary, and dizzyingly fun. Agent: Safae El-Ouahabi, RCW Literary. (May)