Fatale: Book 2%E2%80%94The Devil's Business

This collection hits just the right combination of horror and intrigue to keep readers turning the pages%E2%80%94though with no small amount of trepidation. At the centre of the story is Josephine, a mysterious woman who finds herself not only having to guard against the intrigues of 1970s Hollywood, but against Satanic cults and a cadre of wealthy perverts with bizarre tastes in black market film. If Josephine is in the 1970s, however, how is she haunting every waking moment of Nicolas Lash, an amputee from the present who's desperately bent on discovering her secrets? Turns out that when it comes to having a hold over men (and, it would seem, over the ravages of time), Josephine's powers are far from ordinary. Brubaker and Phillips (Criminal, Incognito, Sleeper) do so many things right here, but perhaps most impressive are the subtle changes to the book's color schemes that can sometimes provide a brief respite from the horror without ever allowing the readers to forget just how dark the story is. As much as this book may disturb some readers, it ultimately belongs in any respectable horror-noir collection. Josephine, after all, would want it that way. (Jan.)