Simantov

A keen eye for complex relationships deepens Ashery’s solid debut, which recasts a traditional battle of the sexes narrative into a modern-day war between human women and angry Nephilim. On the first night of Passover, a judge’s preteen daughter disappears, leaving behind one black feather. Israeli Chief Insp. Yariv Biton and his ex-lover Mazzy Simantov, the head of the derided Soothsayer Unit of police diviners, take the case. Unknown to both, the kidnappers are Nephilim: exiled angels rebelling against the cultic Daughters of Lilith. In order to return home to heaven, the Nephilim must sacrifice seven of Lilith’s descendants, among them the judge’s daughter. As more kidnappings plague the city, Mazzy, Yariv, and the Daughters of Lilith race to discover the Nephilim’s names, which will grant them power over the fallen angels, before the Nephilim can open the Gates of Heaven and in so doing restore absolute patriarchy on Earth. This moody, intricately constructed procedural’s exploration of gendered power struggles operates on levels both mythic and intimate, from the misogynist angels to Mazzy’s fights with her husband about the division of domestic labor. The accessible prose and nuanced characterization are sure to please urban fantasy readers. Agent: Ziv Lewis, Kinneret Zmora. (Apr.)