Devil’s Call

In Dorn’s gritty debut, a witch crosses America’s unforgiving frontier to track down the man who murdered her husband in cold blood. It’s 1859 in the Nebraska Territories, and Li Lian MacPherson adores her husband, Matthew Callahan, a doctor who thinks nothing of welcoming the wounded into their home. When a small band of highwaymen arrive on their doorstep, one with grievous wounds, he invites them in—but one of them, George Dalton, shoots and kills him. The devastated Li Lian is arrested for Matthew’s murder, but local butcher Roger Hawking breaks her out of jail, and they set off across the country to avenge her husband and rid the earth of Dalton, who may well be a supernatural entity. This fast-paced, beautifully written revenge tale, told by Li Lian to the child she carries, is a testament to the fierce love she has for her unborn child and the unbearable pain of the love she’s lost. The indomitable, relentless Li Lian is a force of nature who takes full advantage of her magical heritage and the awesome power that it affords her. (July)