Undead and Unforgiven

When Betsy Taylor, Queen of the Vampires, crosses the finish line of her series next year, will she be walking tall in her Manolos, or will she be limping wearily? What was once fresh in Davidson’s groundbreaking urban fantasy series now reads as stale in this worn-out 14th installment (after Undead and Unwary), even though Davidson continues to stay current with pop culture references and maintains her deft hand at humor. Betsy attempts to modernize hell—in the form of the Mall of America—while keeping her consort out of it and handling her half-sister, the former Antichrist, a social media maven who is much more dangerous without her powers. The wit and zaniness fails to cover up the novel’s slow pacing, and many scenes are just punch lines. Agent: Evan Gregory, Ethan Ellenberg Literary (Oct.)