Trouble with the Cursed

Following 2020’s Million Dollar Demon, the 17th installment of Harrison’s Hollows series proves that heroine Rachel Morgan’s adventures are far from over, with a new set of complications expanding her circle of influence and magical skills. After transforming the vampire Constance into a mouse, witch-born demon Rachel acts in her name while secretly running Cincinnati with her partner in crime, Pike. As the demon subrosa, Rachel is responsible for keeping the city’s supernatural population in line, but her position remains tenuous. When a vampire representative from D.C. arrives to meet with Constance, Rachel must find a way to cover Constance’s absence without revealing her own involvement and while avoiding accusations of murder. Meanwhile, the local demons start acting up, with Rachel’s housemate, Hodin, behaving suspiciously and another apparently kidnapping mortals. And with her closest friends distracted by their own lives, Rachel is especially vulnerable when an unexpected foe makes their true agenda clear at last. More personal subplots—including Rachel’s upcoming wedding to the elf businessman Trent Kalamack—move forward at a leisurely pace, while the return of Rachel’s best friend, Ivy, offers a welcome adjustment to the cast dynamic. Fans will be pleased to see plenty of life left here. Agent: Jennifer Jackson, Donald Maass Literary. (June)