The Queen of Swords

Belcher’s enjoyable third historical fantasy (after The Shotgun Arcana) employs considerable imagination to drop readers into a fully formed world of magic and mysticism, drawing on ancient cultures and rituals while serving up exciting action sequences. It’s 1870, and Maude Stapleton has returned to Charleston, S.C., from the Nevada mining town of Golgotha. She’s determined to get custody of her 14-year-old daughter, Constance, and claim her rightful inheritance. Distractions abound as Constance is attacked by assassins who serve the evil Sons of Typhon, but Maude is a member of the Daughters of Lilith and has trained for this very eventuality. Meanwhile, in 1721, the pirate Anne Bonny breaks out of jail, gives birth to her son, and sets off to discover the secrets of a mysterious chest and find her fortune. The tastiest tidbits lie in Anne’s story line, which takes her from the raging sea to the heart of Africa, where nuanced characterizations transcend some pulp adventure clichés. Fans of the Golgotha series will adore this, and new readers will find a rich new world to fall into as well as two very strong heroines to root for. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency. (June)