Must Love Hellhounds

Four well-known fantasy writers bring magical dogs into the plots of otherwise standard paranormal novellas. Harris's urban fantasy, “The Britlingens Go to Hell,” pits bodyguards Batanya and Clovache against demons, wolfwomen and two hellhounds guarding some unusual prisoners. In Singh's paranormal romance, “Angels' Judgment,” vampire trackers Sara and Deacon must discover who is murdering vampires; one suspect owns a hellhound. In Andrews's sexy “Magic Mourns,” Andrea, a knight who helps people with magic problems, links with a shape-shifter to find a stolen corpse, but first they must get by a three-headed dog. In Brook's page-turning romance “Blind Spot,” Maggie Wren, CIA operative turned vampire's personal assistant, teams up with a hellhound to find her boss's kidnapped niece. Only the most obsessive dog fanciers will be really enthralled by the passing mentions of canines. (Sept.)