cover image Bottle Demon

Bottle Demon

Stephen Blackmoore. DAW, $7.99 mass market (320p) ISBN 978-0-7564-1298-2

Blackmoore’s sixth dark urban fantasy to feature necromancer Eric Carter (after Ghost Money) ties up loose ends in style. Waking up in a hotel room without knowing how he got there is no surprise to Carter, who’s grown accustomed to blackouts, but finding his scars gone and his tattoos altered is a shock. He discovers that he died five years ago and has now been brought back to life in someone else’s body due to his complicated mental connection to Mictlantecuhtli, the God of death. It was Mictlantecuhtli who created the now rapidly fading wards keeping a dangerous djinn locked in a bottle. Now the djinn is on the brink of escape—and it has a plot for revenge that would result in the destruction of the world. As Carter scrambles to find a way to stop the djinn he must also contend with multiple beings who want him dead. Carter’s voice is as unapologetically snarky and cynical as ever, but this book sees him cleaning up his act and taking more care with the people around him. Series fans will not be disappointed. Agent: Lisa Rodgers, JABberwocky. (May)