Magic Possessed

Mud and gators feature in Rush’s first paranormal about the Crescents—shape-shifting dragons, sorcerers, and part-angels living undetected among the Mundanes of modern-day Florida. When one of Violet Castanega’s brothers is killed on the family alligator farm, she suspects someone is trying to start a war among the dragon clans of the swampy Fringe. Violet takes her theory to the Guard, the police of the Crescent world. When she spots evidence of Guard involvement in the murders, Guard Kade Kavanaugh is ordered to eliminate her, and he has every intention of doing so, until his gut tells him that she’s innocent. Violet and Kade join forces to investigate the killings, with time-outs for mud wrestling. Given that the Fringe dwellers act like stereotypical hicks and Kade is an unabashed hit man, it’s commendable that Rush manages to make her leads sympathetic. Less palatable is the characterization of the only identified black character, Dune, a sociopathic Guard who leers at Violet and taunts his victims before killing them. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Group. (Feb.)