Kadrey delivers another slamming urban fantasy adventure in James "Sandman Slim" Stark's sixth foray. Stark reluctantly associates with the Golden Vigil to investigate a series of murders. As Los Angeles is enveloped in a portentous rainstorm, Stark and his part-time sidekick Candy come face-to-face with the oldest faction in the battle for control of the universe. A patron at the Bamboo House of Dolls bar is killed in magical crossfire, Candy is targeted from all directions, and Stark navigates myriad perils in a concerto of violence and improvisation. The novel is wall-to-wall action, and Stark careens from mayhem to chaos, doing battle with the recently deceased and those who can never die. His choices are anchored in the salvation of a video store, a donut shop, and a woman he can't be sure he knows. Under all the shock and gore, the heart of Sandman Slim still beats to its own delightfully unpredictable pace. (Aug.)