cover image Illusion Town

Illusion Town

Jayne Castle. Jove, $7.99 mass market (352p) ISBN 978-0-515-15575-4

Beginning a new adventure set on the world of Harmony, Castle (Siren’s Call) delves deep into the futuristic paranormal underground to create a scintillating mystery that just happens to be a captivating romance as well. Hannah and her dust bunny companion, Virgil, are quite happy living in Illusion Town, a city where “the thrills are real.” They run a shop specializing in crystals, and glory in Hannah’s role as the finder of lost objects. Hannah breaks her cardinal rule and agrees to a date with a client. Unfortunately, they wake up the next morning to find that they’re married, with no memory of where and how they got that way. The deeper they delve into that mystery, the more questions are raised related to their psychic abilities and their respective careers. The eerie setting—part alien, part postapocalyptic, part Las Vegas—serves as an excellent background for the unexpectedly sweet romance. Some hilarity ensues, courtesy of Virgil, but the vast majority of the plot contains nuanced layers of history wrapped in enigmas, leading to an unexpected and delightful conclusion. Agent: Steven Axelrod, Axelrod Agency. (Aug.)