cover image Darkness Rising: The East Salem Trilogy Book Two

Darkness Rising: The East Salem Trilogy Book Two

Lis Wiehl with Pete Nelson. Thomas Nelson, $26.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-5955-4943-3

In Wiehl and Nelson's heart-pounding second East Salem thriller (after 2011's Waking Hours), forensic psychiatrist Dani Harris and her partner (both professional and romantic), ex-football star Tommy Gunderson, continue to investigate the ritual murder of Julie Leonard, last seen alive at a party attended by students from St. Adrian's Academy, an exclusive boys' school in New York's Westchester County. Another death%E2%80%94of an Alzheimer's patient and pious historian, Abbie Gardener, somehow crushed by sucking asphyxiation one night in her room at the school%E2%80%94complicates their inquiry. Romantic jealousy flares when Dani draws on the expertise of her neuro-chemist ex-boyfriend, while a demonically possessed friend tricks Tommy's model ex-girlfriend into thinking it's time for a visit. Wiehl's world, in which humanity plays a central role in the eternal war between God and the devil, will appeal to readers who like their morality unambiguous and their heroes righteous. Agent: Todd Shuster, Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary. (Oct.)