No Humans Involved

March 26, 2007
In Armstrong's assured seventh Otherworld paranormal romance, her first in hardcover (after Broken
), pretty Jaime Vegas, a 44-year-old necromancer who can reanimate the dead, faces her biggest career challenge yet—freeing the trapped ghosts of six murdered children. Thankfully, Jeremy Danvers, Jaime's hunky and very Alpha werewolf boyfriend, tags along for this hair-raising ride. Jaime, who has made a living onstage and off by her ghost-whispering skills, is in L.A. as one of three celebrity mediums participating in Death of Innocence
, a TV special that hopes "to raise the ghost of Marilyn Monroe," but instead uncovers a serial-killing cult intent on man-made black magic. Seeking justice for the lost children and punishing the dark arts practitioners don't prevent Jaime and Jeremy from finding time for love. Armstrong deftly juggles such creatures as werewolves, witches, demons and ghosts with real-life issues. The only disappointment? Marilyn's ghost never shows.

March 15, 2007
In Armstrong's (Bitten, Dime Store Magic ) seventh installment in her series, narrator/heroine Jamie Vegas, a 43-year-old necromancer, is drawn into trying to help the trapped children's spirits she encounters while on a shoot for a new TV show. She is joined in her adventure by several characters from other Armstrong books, including love interest Jeremy, who is the alpha of the werewolf pack introduced inBitten . Jamie's mature age adds complexity and depth to Armstrong's characterizations, and Jamie's relationship with Jeremy and her growing realization of her own changing goals in life are nicely developed. Although the book does contain some strong language and explicit sexual encounters as well as some dark, horrific scenes that could upset some readers, the nonstop action will keep readers enthralled to the last page. Sure to be equally as popular to Armstrong's many fans as her prior novels, this is a recommended purchase for public libraries.Crystal Renfro, Georgia Inst. of Technology Lib. & Information Ctr., Atlanta

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2007
Fortysomething Jaime Vegas is a sexy, redheaded celebrity medium on the threshold of a spiritualists dream: her own TV show. She is one of three professional psychics brought to a haunted site for a reality TV show and charged with raising the ghost of Marilyn Monroe. Obviously, this is Jaimes shot at stardom. Her costars are drawling, up-and-coming starlet medium Angelique and UK satanic specialist Bradford Grady, and watching the three one-up each other as they jockey for prime position, even during a warm-up s'ance, is good show-biz comedy. Jaime knows and uses a psychics two primary tools, knowledge (prior facts) and statistical probability, but everything depends on her authentic, natural necromantic gifts. But when she finds spirits in the sites garden with whom she cannot commune despite her superpowerful silver ring, she fears shes out of her league (shes not wrong) and flies to Portland for help. Paranormal and show-business power struggles make for hard-to-put-down entertainment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)