Tarnished

Switching gears from the postapocalyptic setting of her Dark Mission series (All Things Wicked, etc.), Cooper’s first St. Croix Chronicles steampunk urban fantasy brings readers to affluent Victorian London neighborhoods elevated on steel beams to escape the pollution of the industrialized underbelly. Cherry St. Croix works as a “collector,” disguising herself and descending via steam-powered sky ferries to the dangerous docks and pleasure gardens, where she captures thieves, miscreants, and the occasional murderer in exchange for bounties to fuel her opium addiction. Aloft, she struggles to play the role she was born into: the eccentric but socially acceptable daughter of an insane scientist. When Cherry tries to catch a serial killer, she puts herself in even more danger than usual. Readers expecting romance in an Avon title will be disappointed; Cooper’s urban fantasy lays the groundwork for future romantic interludes but focuses more on Cherry’s attempts to control her addiction and stay alive. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency. (July)