Watcher of the Dark

Jeremiah Hunt (star of Eyes to See and King of the Dead) returns in a formulaic, fast-paced paranormal thriller that’s long on snappy commentary but short on smarts. This time Hunt is in L.A., where he’s picked up by an ill-assorted quartet of thugs, including a bombshell Russian dame who can swallow spectres whole. Their leader is Carlos Fuentes, evil-minded magister of the city’s paranormal elements. Fuentes forces Hunt to join the gang, which is seeking pieces of something called the Key. Fuentes plans to conquer L.A.; Hunt plans revenge on Fuentes. Hunt is mostly along for the ride, narrating all manner of spectacular encounters but serving no purpose in Fuentes’s (or Nassise’s) plot. The gee-whiz smorgasbord of ghouls is a lot of fun, but the book as a whole is forgettable. Agent: Joe Monti, Barry Goldblatt Literary Agency. (Nov.)