Devil’s Daughter: Lucinda’s Pawnshop, Book 1

Bohnhoff (The Meri) collaborates with TV producers Schenk-de Michele and Marquez for a fun and readable, though suncinematic, kickoff for the Lucinda’s Pawnshop urban fantasy series. Lucinda Trompe, daughter of Lucifer and Eve, runs a pawnshop that sells possessed artifacts to people on the brink of moral decisions, drawing them into Lucifer’s grand battle for the souls of all humankind. While broadly supporting her father’s schemes, Lucinda affirms her humanity and defies him in little ways: pursuing a relationship with mortal Dominic Amado instead of Lucifer’s creepy lackey Rey Granger, and putting a powerful annotated Qur’an into the hands of a religious leader who could interfere with infernal plans in the Middle East. Lucinda’s balance of tangible power and personal insecurity makes her a complex protagonist. The sparse plot feels mechanical and ends in an array of cliffhangers, but the characters’ interactions are enough to carry at least another volume or two. (July)