Bloodstone

Shape-changer Victory Vaughn (last seen in 2010’s Hellforged) has no competitors in the demon extermination business. Her werewolf boyfriend, Kane, is a successful lawyer, and she’s no longer stuck with a flaky teenage zombie apprentice. Life should be good, but a serial killer called the South End Reaper is making trouble for Boston’s precariously placed paranormal population, already targeted by anti-supernatural bigots and deprived of equal rights (an overly transparent parallel to current events). Add in a missing roommate, an angry sister, and a niece on the verge of gaining her powers, and Victory has more than enough on her hands, especially when Kane gets prematurely turned into a wolf and stuck that way. Fans of Holzner’s other Deadtown novels will enjoy this solid yarn, which competently weaves Victory’s longtime personal issues into a new plot without feeling forced. (Oct.)