Midnight Blue-Light Special

The second in McGuire’s InCryptid series (after Discount Armageddon) returns to a thoroughly monster-infested New York and hereditary cryptozoologist Verity Price. Price has more than monsters on her mind this go-round, as her boyfriend’s superiors from the monster-hunting Covenant of Saint George are about to descend on Manhattan to check up on his work. While wondering where the handsome fellow’s loyalties lie, Price also has to deal with trying to hide New York’s diverse cryptid population from the incoming hunters, one of whom is a distant cousin of the legendary Price clan out for some very personal revenge. The story is fast-moving and enjoyable, with events whooshing by too fast for the reader to ponder improbabilities. While a several-chapter diversion into the perspective of Verity’s psychic cousin Sarah is a bit disconcerting, the rest of the book is more assured and engrossing than its predecessor and will keep readers hooked. Agent: Diana Fox, Fox Literary. (Mar.)