Sorrow’s Point

DeVor’s first novel for City Owl, a reprint of her well-received 2013 indie debut, is an entertaining but unevenly paced exorcism story. Defrocked priest Jimmy Holiday is cajoled by his high school pal Will to investigate the apparent demonic possession of Will’s daughter, Lucy. Out of his depth, Jimmy in turn taps Tabby, his ex-girlfriend, who happens to be a witch. Jimmy sounds like a gumshoe detective, not a man of faith, but his narrative voice is a strong blend of insightful, self-deprecating, and sincere. Horror tropes pack the pages—cannibal killer, monstrous child, ley-line “doorway,” even a Dementor—and much of DeVor’s research appears to have been done in five minutes on the Internet. (No, the Catholic church never “banned” the Harry Potter books.) But what really impedes the fun is a lack of pace. DeVor regularly overexplains and then repeats information, defusing narrative tension. This is more of an amusing travelogue through modern horror clichés than a fully realized story in its own right. (Dec.)