Black Magic

Lake Wobegon meets The Omen in this curiously charming horror novel. Mur-derous immortal sorcerer Lyle Miller randomly decides to destroy the sleepy Florida town of Citrus Glade from within. Playing on the loneliness and boredom of a group of lost teenagers and the greed of some small-time thugs, the handsome and charming Miller sets up shop. Soon Citrus Glade is in the path of a hurricane, teeming with possessed wild animals and killer rabbits popping out of hats. It’s up to a city maintenance man, his senile mother, her part-Anamassee friend, a travelling biologist, and some poor but pious farmers to work together to save their town. Somehow James (Sacrifice) manages to make his over-the-top supernatural showdown feel low-key, as if even gory magical murders can’t entirely overcome smalltown inertia. The result is surprisingly touching and compulsively readable. (May)