The Witches of Echo Park

Actor and author Benson (the Calliope Reaper-Jones series) launches another urban fantasy series that deftly mixes magic and the modern world. Lyse MacAllister is summoned to the peaceful Los Angeles neighborhood of Echo Park by her beloved great-aunt, Eleanora. Lyse is shocked to learn that Eleanora is dying of cancer—and that her death will leave a vacancy in the Echo Park coven, which Eleanora wants Lyse to fill. An evil called the Flood is bent on destroying covens around the world to make way for the Devil, and only “the Innocent,” predicted by an ancient prophecy, can stop it. Eleanora and the ghosts who advise her believe Lyse is the Innocent, but Eleanora only has three months to live, and Lyse has a great deal to learn. This story of good witches versus cosmic evil makes up for its thin premise with vivid characters and tangled loyalties in a place where nothing comes easily. Agent: Howard Morhaim, Howard Morhaim Literary Agency. (Jan.)