Cruel Fate

In Armstrong’s entertaining second Cainsville novella (after 2018’s Rough Justice), Olivia Taylor-Jones must suss out who is trying to send her newly liberated father, Todd Larsen, back to prison. Olivia has the role of Matilda of the Day and Night, and her presence grants power to the fae of the magical Midwestern town of Cainsville. It’s been 23 years since Olivia’s parents, Todd and Pamela, made a bargain with the fae: if they killed multiple serial killers, baby Olivia’s spina bifida would be healed. Pamela and Todd were imprisoned for killing eight people, but Todd’s conviction was recently overturned, and he’s been freed. Olivia is thrilled to have her father back. However, if the authorities found out that Todd actually did kill someone—the vicious Gregory Kirkman, whose body was hidden by the fae—he’d go back to prison. When two bodies are unearthed in the woods outside of Cainsville, and it turns out one of them may be Kirkman, all eyes turn to Todd. With help from her boyfriend, defense lawyer Gabriel Walsh, and her ex-lover and friend Ricky Gallagher, Olivia vows to find out who is targeting her father, but the truth may put those she loves in the crosshairs. The town of Cainsville, which is populated almost entirely by fae, is a fascinating place, and Armstrong has an easy familiarity with her characters. Olivia’s evolving romance with the slightly uptight Gabriel adds a sweet element to this fast-paced mystery. (May)