The Wolf Prince

The princes of New Symtaria are at it again, shifting into animals and showing up naked in Texas, in the third installment of Kelley's hilarious paranormal series (after August 2010's The Falcon Prince). Prince Surlock arrives in the small town of Summerville, Tex., to protect heiress and aspiring PI Darcy Spencer from rogue Symtarians who want to kill half-bloods. Darcy has no idea she's actually a half-alien shape-shifter, so when she spots a wolf and then a naked man, she bops him over the head with a stick. Now Surlock has amnesia. Darcy's determined to use her detective skills to get to the root of his identity, but the blood tests and fingerprints keep coming up weird, so she undertakes a more intimate investigation. Deadpan humor and lots of inventive silliness make this series a delight for anyone seeking pure escapism. (Nov.)