Bleedovers

In this breezy sequel to Crossfades (2014), series protagonist Chuck Grainger continues wrangling restless spirits in the limbo-like realm called the Divide. When one sadistic shade tries to return to life, he must help prevent its ghostly revenge. Rose never lets up when it comes to disturbing concepts: the chilling images start with a school that harbors demented killers in the lockers, and they climax with animal body horror. Using elements of real-world ghost-hunting, Rose makes his spooky creations seem plausible. A fast-moving plot builds tension and helps cover for the thinly defined characters (Chuck’s a generic hard-luck hero, Control’s his badass female partner, and Marilee is the child prodigy). This is not a story to linger over, but it has a lot to offer those who love their horror well described and the good/evil divide clearly defined. (Sept.)