Broken Soul

Vampire hunter and general all-around badass Jane Yellowrock and her alter ego, Beast, return (following Black Arts) in a multifaceted plot that contains strong action and intriguing new directions, but the story gets bogged down by the sheer amount of detail. Jane’s employer, Leo, the vampire Master of the City of New Orleans, instructs her to tighten his already robust security in anticipation of an official visit by European vampires. While doing so, Jane discovers something truly frightful in the basement, gets attacked on the streets by an invisible entity, and learns there are super-scary vampires that other vampires fear almost more than sunlight. Readers who have been waiting for Jane to make some smart decisions in the romance department should be pleased, but the subplots, subplots of subplots, and overwhelming number of characters detract from the main punch of the series, which is Jane’s relationship with Beast and her take-no-prisoners approach to life. The continuing character development and fascinating new horizons will assuage dedicated fans. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency. (Oct.)