The Vengeful Dead

Duncan follows April 2011's Deadworld with a tame paranormal thriller. FBI agent Jackie Rutledge is depressed, bored, and tired of reliving the horrifying paranormal events that killed fellow agent Laurel Carpenter. Having tried and failed to hide from the world, Jackie returns to work, only to find that now she can hear, see, and feel the thoughts of murder victims. She also learns that Laurel's ghost is wandering around Chicago. In between freak-outs, Jackie acquires a team of paranormal assistants: Nick Anderson, a vampire PI who of course is attracted to Jackie; his assistant, Cynthia, also a vampire; and his office manager, Shelby, a powerful psychic. A murder in gang territory provides something like plot for the Scooby gang to unravel. When the action starts, about 300 pages in, it's genuinely exciting%E2%80%94but too little, too late. (Oct.)