The Vengeful Dead

Coates brings the pyrotechnics in the incendiary climax to her Gravekeeper series (after The Hollow Dead). Ghost whisperer Keira Collis feels a special responsibility to help spirits who have yet to pass on to the great beyond—especially the hordes who have been secretly imprisoned by the nefarious power company Artec to exploit their spectral energy. Now Schaeffer, the founder of Artec, has put a target on Keira’s back for undermining the company’s business interests. When his operatives begin roiling the peace of her sleepy British town of Blighty, Keira goes on the offensive, confronting Artec and its employees in their underground bunker with an onslaught of supernormal powers so formidable it brings to mind the climax of a superhero story. Though the novel’s ending feels like a foregone conclusion, Coates draws on the camaraderie of friends who have helped Keira over the course of the series to make the showdown a satisfying group effort. Fans will find this a fitting finale. (Feb.)