The Beyond

Neill wraps up her Devil’s Isle series with an emotional fourth adventure (following The Hunt) in which her intrepid heroine confronts her deadliest foe yet. A year after the rending of the Veil, a magical boundary between the human world and the paranormal Beyond, Claire Connolly and her cadre of magical and mundane companions continue to maintain order within the remains of New Orleans. When her bounty hunter partner, Liam Quinn, discovers an encampment of Seelie air spirits poised for a final, apocalyptic battle, Claire and her comrades decide their only hope lies in recreating the Devil’s Snare, a weapon designed to strip away the victim’s magic. But in order to do so, they must infiltrate the Beyond, steal the weapon’s magical components, and reassemble the parts before the air spirits unleash the most powerful hurricane in history. The plot itself is formulaic, and the villain’s story is far too complex for the quick resolution provided, but Neill’s character development is sure to keep series devotees engaged until the final showdown. This is a satisfying end to Claire’s magical journey of self-discovery. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency. (June)