Deceptions

Armstrong’s third Cainsville novel (after Visions) blends aspects of a psychological thriller into her urban fantasy, but the excitement is muffled by the slow-moving narrative, which is becoming a hallmark of the series. After an opener that will confuse even those who read the previous installments, multiple plot lines eventually unfold, and the agendas of various fae factions in Cainsville, Ill., are revealed. Olivia Taylor-Jones’s ex-fiancé is stalking her. She continues her investigation, with the help of morally ambivalent lawyer Gabriel Walsh, into the serial murders committed by her birth parents. She also has a burgeoning relationship with Ricky Gallagher; he's an insightful M.B.A.-earning gangster in training, but no one around him really takes him seriously. The story’s unsettling psychological component involves Olivia’s incapacitating—and worsening—visions, which help the underlying puzzle pieces, built around ancient folklore, fit into place. By the story’s end, many questions are answered, but whether readers will get that far is debatable. (Aug.)