Crucible Zero

The third installment of Monk’s House Immortal series (after Infinity Bell) finds many familiar faces taking on vastly different roles, forcing heroine Matilda Case—one of the immortal galvanized, who has now been stitched into another woman’s body—even farther out of her comfort zone. In a postapocalyptic urban science fantasy world where neither death nor taxes is guaranteed, Matilda lives by a code of passionate loyalty to those she calls family. After saving the world in one time line, she is transported to another, where plagues ravage the land. At first, Miranda finds it difficult to adapt to life, being mistaken for the woman whose body she was stitched into. Even after saving billions of lives, she still has to stop a madman from taking over the world—all while grappling with her attraction to love interest Abraham. Monk makes every word count, from the easy-flowing dialogue to the chapter notes. Fraught with chilling action and heartbreaking choices, the story has both a ring of finality and a vague sense of something missing, and the mostly satisfying climax still lacks an element that would elevate an already excellent story to greatness. Agent: Miriam Kriss, Irene Goodman Literary Agency. (Sept.)