cover image Black Wings

Black Wings

Christina Henry, Ace, $7.99 mass market (304p) ISBN 978-0-441-01963-2

Madeline Black is getting fed up. Her job is to coax newly dead Chicagoans to the Door to the afterlife. But what if they don't want to go? Her supervisor, J.B., won't accept any excuses. Maddy also desperately needs a roommate to split the bills. When the beautiful Gabriel Angeloscuro (the name a rare clunker on Henry's part) comes to look at the apartment, Maddy invites him in—and thereby welcomes a host of disasters. Enigmatic Gabriel holds the key to the mysteries of Maddy's past, including the murder of her mother. Emotionally battered, confused, and scared, Maddy is above all determined to find the truth. Henry shows that she is up to the challenge of debuting in a crowded genre. The extensive background of her imaginative world is well integrated with the action-packed plot, and the satisfying conclusion leaves the reader primed for the next installment. (Dec.)