Reliquary

Paired in love and work, Wisconsin veterinarians Mattie and Ben are going to be so happy together—until Mattie wakes up alone the morning after their engagement party to find that Ben has vanished, leaving behind his pacemaker and a pile of debts. Mattie’s amateur-gumshoe fumbling to trace him lands her in a network of users and suppliers of “magic”—she thinks it’s a drug, but it’s the real thing, and just as addictive. Asa, Ben’s long-lost brother and a magic trafficker, is the only lead Mattie has. When he reveals her potential to be a “reliquary,” or magic vessel, she agrees to his terms: she’ll be his mule if he’ll track down Ben. This is primarily a hard-boiled mystery with hints of urban fantasy and erotic romance. Fine (the Servants of Fate series) keeps the story moving at a snappy, stylish clip, making it easy to forgive the somewhat repetitive nature of Mattie and Asa’s magic underworld travels: taking jobs, making hair-raising escapes, and bickering. Agent: Kathleen Ortiz, New Leaf Literary. (June)