Cincinnati, Ohio

Rachel Morgan is way too old to run home to mom, but she absolutely needs that motherly comfort after the devastating loss of her boyfriend, Kisten. The one good thing that’s come of the situation is a renewed closeness with her mother that has been missing since Rachel became a runner for Inderland Security. Unfortunately, a night of what was supposed to be easygoing shopping has taken a turn for the not so nice when demons show up in the store, gunning for Rachel. It seems Al has escaped from demon jail and is determined to kill Rachel for her part in his incarceration. Hot on his trail is Minias, who it seems has lost his previous job babysitting the only female, and quite insane, demon. Offered another in a series of bad or worse choices, Rachel can either stay on sacred ground every night or figure out a way to stop whoever keeps summoning Al from the ever-after. First though, she’s got to contain him, keep him away from her mother, and oh yeah, stay alive. Easy, right?

There’s nothing like trying to stay two steps ahead of a murderous demon while still dealing with the vagaries of everyday life to get a girl’s heart beating in THE OUTLAW DEMON WAILS. Rachel is still heartbroken over Kisten’s death, especially since she can’t remember what happened that night. But a rampaging demon, a sick elf, a new vampire master, and revelations about herself serve to pitch Rachel out of her depressed state. Frankly, though Kisten is always in the back of her mind, she has too many other things she’s got to figure out if she wants to stay alive long enough to find his killer. As usual, Jenks and Ivy are along for the ride, joined by David, Rachel’s pack mate; Ceri; Keasley; and a new witch, Marshal, who has recently moved to Cincinnati. Always involved in some way, whether directly or indirectly, are Quen and Trent, with whom Rachel continues to have a strained love/hate relationship. New to the scene with a bigger role is Rachel’s mom whom readers get to learn much more about, including revelations about Rachel’s dad and Rachel herself.

Huge surprises are in store for both Rachel and readers as Kim Harrison makes it virtually impossible to put this book down until the last page with all of the twists and turns. THE OUTLAW DEMON WAILS continues the Hollows series with the high level of suspense, humor, drama, and angst that have enthralled fans in the previous books. This is not one you want to miss, though I highly suggest reading the other books in order to understand the characters, their backgrounds, and the nuances of the story.

Kathy Samuels