The Quick and the Dead

Revolution brews in the spirit world in the colorful but unsatisfying third paranormal thriller of Sieders’ Soul Broker series (after Raising the Dead). Soul broker Vivian Bedford straddles the realms of the living and the dead. Forced into hiding from angry guardian spirits after the events of the previous book, Vivian takes a road trip to Mississippi with Reaper Lazarus Darkmore, now trapped in a mortal body. There, they plan to meet with the leaders of a rebellion against the Archangels, whose corrupt approach to “afterlife management” demands too much energy from traveling souls. Along the way, Vivian and Lazarus encounter a vibrant cast of allies—among them mambo woman Bijoux Briggs and Vivian’s sister Mae, who was disabled in life but is powerful in the afterlife—and develop a love connection despite their complicated past. The confrontation with the Archangels fails to deliver on the fear and excitement that the buildup promises and the finale fizzles into post-battle exposition. Series readers will appreciate the closure but long for a deeper emotional payoff. (Nov.)