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When one looks in the box, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the cat.

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With twenty-eight new urban fantasy titles hitting the shelves in April, it would be shameless for me to pimp my own release, wouldn’t it? Of course it would *coughs, Royal Street, coughs*. Especially with some popular series getting new titles this month, including from authors J.N. Duncan (Jackie Rutledge), Ann Aguirre (Corine Solomon), Holly Black (Curse Workers), Devon Monk (Allie Beckstrom), C.C. Hunter (Shadow Falls), Kimberly Derting (Body Finder), Lyn Benedict (Shadows Inquiries), and Kevin Hearne (Iron Druid Chronicles).

Fiction Affliction details releases in science fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and “genre-benders.” Keep track of them all here.

 

WEEK ONE

The Lingering Dead (Jackie Rutledge, Book 3), by J.N. Duncan (April 1, Kensington)

Jackie Rutledge has faced down everything from the darkest sorcery to uber-vengeful revenants. But heading up the Bureau’s special paranormal unit is presenting unexpected challenges. Handling otherworldly egos and politics has never come easy to this loner agent. And opening up to her sexy vampire lover, Nick, is as unnerving as her unwanted new ability to slip between the realms of the living and the dead. Now an insidious power holding helpless ghosts in thrall is using any means necessary to discredit Jackie and split her team apart for good. The only chance she has means baiting the terrifying Deadworld being stalking her dreams.

Devil’s Punch (Corine Solomon, Book 4), by Ann Aguirre (April 3, Roc)

Corine Solomon can touch any object and learn its history. But right now, she’s trying to rebuild her pawnshop and her life despite her being marked as a witch. When demons from her past kidnap her best friend, Corine puts everything on hold to save her.

Black Heart (Curse Workers, Book 3), by Holly Black (April 3, Margaret K. McElderry)

Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy. But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. Young Adult.

The Vampire Shrink, by Lynda Hilburn (April 3, SilverOak)

Kismet Knight, a brainy Denver-based psychologist with a stalled career and a nonexistent love life, is about to have her world rocked. Not only does her newest patient, Midnight, long to become a vampire, but the teenager insists a coven of the undead hangs out at a local goth club. The always-rational Kismet dismisses Midnight’s claims as the delusions of an attention-starved girl—until bodies start turning up drained of blood and the hottest self-proclaimed vampire ever to walk the face of the earth enters her office. Revised and expanded from 2007 U.K. release.

Magic Without Mercy (Allie Beckstrom, Book 8), by Devon Monk (April 3, Roc)

Allison Beckstrom’s talent for tracking spells has put her up against some of the darkest elements in the world of magic. But now, magic itself has been poisoned, and Allie’s undead father may have left the only cure in the hands of a madman.

The Marked (Delacroix Academy, Book 2), by Inara Scott (April 3, Hyperion)

All of her life, Dancia Lewis has wanted to use her powers for good. And now that she’s learned the truth about Delcroix Academy—and herself—she might just get the chance. But being part of Delcroix’s top secret Program isn’t anything like Dancia expected. She has to ask herself: what happens to the Talented kids who refuse to pledge their loyalty? And why did her friend Jack run away rather than join? Dancia’s boyfriend Cam insists they need the help of every Talented student to defend Delcroix from dangerous enemies outside their gates. But Dancia has to wonder: what if Delcroix’s most frightening enemies come from within? Young  Adult.

The Thirteenth Sacrifice, by Debbie Viguie (April 3, Signet)

When young women start dying, Boston cop Samantha Ryan is the perfect person to investigate, for only she knows what the archais symbol carved into their flesh means. The last in a long line of ruthless witches, she grew up in a coven seduced by power and greed. And now she’s sure that bad witches have returned to Salem. Reluctantly, Samantha goes undercover—into a town obsessed with black magic, into her terrifying past, and into the dark, newly awakened heart of evil. A Witch Hunter novel.

Summoning, by Carol Wolf (April 3, Night Shade)

The World Snake is coming, devourer of Thrace and Atlantis… and the only one standing in its way is Amber, a sixteen-year-old runaway, recently arrived in Los Angeles. Amber is more than just a girl with a stolen ID and an attitude; she is a daughter of the wolf-kind, a shapeshifter able to change forms at will. One night, as Amber prowls the Hollywood Hills in wolf form, she stumbles onto an occult ceremony, interrupting the ritual. As a result, Amber finds herself the unwilling mistress of a handsome demonic servant, Richard. Appearing as a fair youth of eighteen years, Richard is a demon accidentally summoned, then captured, by Dr. John Dee, court magician to Queen Elizabeth I. All hell is about to break loose, and Amber and Richard are going to need allies to stop the Eater of Souls and save a city on the edge of disaster.

Let Them Eat Stake (Vampire Chef, Book 2), by Sarah Zettel (April 3, Signet)

It’s a dream for a “Vampire Chef”—cater the high-profile wedding of a 200-year-old vampire and a wealthy witch. So why did celebrity chef Oscar Simmons walk away from this gig? Charlotte agrees to take his place, even though she knows this event, thrown by power-hungry vampires and witches, could make (or break) her career, her restaurant, and her life. But when Simmons turns up dead, the groom’s family starts vanishing, and the police start asking pointed questions, Charlotte fears she may have picked the wrong wedding to stake her reputation on.

 

WEEK TWO

The Calling (Darkness Rising, Book 2), by Kelley Armstrong (April 10, HarperCollins)

Maya Delaney’s pawprint birthmark is the sign of what she truly is—a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly anyone else. Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they’re kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home. Young Adult.

Blue Magic (Astrid Lethewood, Book 2), by A.M. Dellamonica (April 10, Tor)

This sequel to A.M. Dellamonica’s Sunburst Award-winning contemporary fantasy Indigo Springs starts in the small town in Oregon where Astrid Lethewood discovered an underground river of blue liquid—Vitagua—that is pure magic. Everything it touches is changed. The secret is out—and the world will never be the same. Astrid’s best friend, Sahara, has been corrupted by the blue magic, and now leads a cult that seeks to rule the world. Astrid, on the other hand, tries to heal the world. Conflicting ambitions, star-crossed lovers, and those who fear and hate magic combine in a terrible conflagration, pitting friend against friend, magic against magic, and the power of nations against a small band of zealots, with the fate of the world at stake.

Taken at Dusk (Shadow Falls, Book 3), by C.C. Hunter (April 10, St. Martin’s Griffin)

Kylie Galen wants the truth so badly she can taste it. The truth about who her real family is, the truth about which boy she’s meant to be with—and the truth about what her emerging powers mean. But she’s about to discover that some secrets can change your life forever…and not always for the better. Just when she and Lucas are finally getting close, she learns that his pack has forbidden them from being together. And an amnesia-stricken ghost is haunting her. As Kylie races to unravel the mystery and protect those she loves, she finally unlocks the truth about her supernatural identity, which is far different than she ever imagined. Young Adult.

Wicked City (Zyphyr Hollis, Book 2), by Alaya Johnson (April 10, Thomas Dunne)

It’s summer in the city and most vampires are drunk on the blood-based intoxicant Faust. The mayor has tied his political fortunes to legalizing the brew, but Zephyr Hollis has dedicated herself to the cause of Faust prohibition—at least when she isn’t knocking back sidecars in speakeasies.But the game changes when dozens of vampires end up in the city morgue after drinking Faust. Are they succumbing to natural causes, or have they been deliberately poisoned? When an anonymous tip convinces the police of her guilt, Zephyr has to save her reputation, her freedom and possibly her life. Someone is after her blood—and this time it isn’t a vampire.

Royal Street, by Suzanne Johnson (April 10, Tor)

Wizard Drusilla Jaco’s job involves a lot more potion-mixing than sniffing out supernatural bad guys. DJ’s boss and mentor, Gerald St. Simon, is the wizard tasked with protecting the city from the preternatural Beyond. Then Hurricane Katrina hammers New Orleans’ fragile levees, unleashing more than just dangerous flood waters. While winds howled and Lake Pontchartrain surged, the borders between the modern city and the Beyond crumbled. Now, the undead and the restless are roaming the Big Easy, a serial killer with ties to voodoo is murdering the soldiers sent to help the city recover, and Gerald St. Simon is missing. The wizards’ Elders have assigned a grenade-toting assassin as DJ’s new partner, and undead pirate Jean Lafitte wants to make her walk his plank. The search for Gerry and for the killer turns personal when DJ learns the hard way that loyalty requires sacrifice, allies come from the unlikeliest places, and duty mixed with love creates one bitter roux. First in a new series.

The Book of Blood and Shadow, by Robin Wasserman (April 10, Random House Children’s)

When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love. When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark.But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead. His girlfriend Adriane, Nora’s best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora’s Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. U.S. release. Young Adult.

Ghost Flower, by Michele Jaffe (April 12, Razorbill)

Eve, a runaway, finds a new job at a coffee shop on the outskirts of Tuscon. When she’s approached by two wealthy teens who claim she bears an uncanny resemblance to their missing cousin Aurora, her life takes a turn for the dark and mysterious. Young Adult.

 

WEEK THREE

The Last Echo (The Body Finder, Book 3), by Kimberly Derting (April 17, HarperCollins)

Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her boyfriend. Until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet’s talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it’s Violet’s job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by “the girlfriend collector” she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new “relationship,” and Violet may have caught his eye. Young Adult.

Glimmer, by Phoebe Kitanidis (April 17, Balzer + Bray)

When Marshall and Elyse wake up in each other’s arms with zero memory of how they got there or who they are, it’s the start of a long journey through their separate pasts and shared future. Terrified by their amnesia, the two make a pact to work together to find the answers that could jog their missing memories. As they piece together clues, they discover they’re in the idyllic mountain resort town of Summer Falls, where everyone seems mysteriously happy, but as Marshall and Elyse quickly learn, darkness lurks beneath the town’s perfect facade. Not only is the town haunted by sinister ghosts, but none of its living inhabitants retain bad memories of anything. Young Adult.

 

WEEK FOUR

Lies & Omens (Shadows Inquiries, Book 4), by Lyn Benedict (April 24, Ace)

After escaping secret government cells and destroying a Miami landmark, Sylvie’s trying to lay low—something that gets easier when a magical force starts taking out her enemies. But these magical attacks are a risk to bystanders, and Sylvie can’t let that slide. When the war between the government and the magical world threatens the three people closest to her—her assistant, her sister, and her lover—Sylvie has no choice but to get involved with hidden powers bent on shaping the world to their liking. Now, with death and disaster on the horizon, even if Sylvie wins, things will never be the same…

Summoning the Night (Arcadia Bell, Book 2), by Jenn Bennett (April 24, Pocket)

After narrowly escaping her fate as a sacrificial scapegoat, Arcadia Bell is back to normal. Or at least as ordinary as life can be for a renegade magician and owner of a tiki bar that caters to Earthbound demons. She’s gearing up for the busiest day of the year—Halloween—when a vengeful kidnapper paralyzes the community. The influential head of the local Hellfire Club taps Cady to track down the fiendish bogeyman, and now that she’s dating red-hot Lon Butler, the Club’s wayward son, she can hardly say no. Cady and Lon untangle a gruesome thirty-year trail of clues that points to danger for the club members’ children. But locating the person behind the terror will require some metaphysical help from Cady’s loyal bar patrons as well as her potent new Moonchild powers—and she’d better figure it out before the final victim disappears and her own darkest secret becomes her biggest enemy.

Deadly Descendant (Nikki Glass, Book 2), by Jenna Black (April 24, Pocket)

As a living descendant of Artemis the Huntress, private investigator Nikki Glass knows how to track someone down. But when an Oracle shows up, warning the descendants about wild dog attacks in Washington D.C., Nikki is afraid it might be a trap. The Olympians believe the “dogs” are jackals, controlled by a blood-crazed descendant of the Egyptian death-god Anubis. Whatever… If Nikki hopes to muzzle Dogboy, she’s got to catch him in the act. But when she stakes out a local cemetery, she ends up face-to-snout with a snarling pack of shadow-jackals whose bite is worse than their bark.

The Burning Man (Kingdom of the Serpent, Book 2), by Mark Chadbourn (April 24, Pyr)

After a long journey across the ages, Jack Churchill has returned to the modern world, only to find it in the grip of a terrible, dark force. The population is unaware, mesmerized by the Mundane Spell that keeps them in thrall. With a small group of trusted allies, Jack sets out to find the two keys that can shatter the spell. But the keys are people—one with the power of creation, one the power of destruction—and they are hidden somewhere among the world’s billions. U.S. release.

Evil Dark (Occult Crimes Unit Investigation, Book 2), by Justin Gustainis (April 24, Angry Robot)

His name’s Markowski. He carries a badge. Also, a crucifix, some wooden stakes, a big vial of holy water, and a 9mm Beretta loaded with silver bullets.A series of seemingly motiveless murders of supernatural creatures points to a vigilante targeting the supe community. Markowski wouldn’t normally have much of a problem with that, but his daughter may be next on the killer’s list.

Tricked (Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 4), by Kevin Hearne (April 24, Del Rey)

Druid Atticus O’Sullivan hasn’t stayed alive for more than two millennia without a fair bit of Celtic cunning. So when vengeful thunder gods come Norse by Southwest looking for payback, Atticus, with a little help from the Navajo trickster god Coyote, lets them think that they’ve chopped up his body in the Arizona desert.But the mischievous Coyote is not above a little sleight of paw, and Atticus soon finds that he’s been duped into battling bloodthirsty desert shapeshifters called skinwalkers. Just when the Druid thinks he’s got a handle on all the duplicity, betrayal comes from an unlikely source. If Atticus survives this time, he vows he won’t be fooled again. Famous last words.

Coveted, by Shawntelle Madison (April 24, Ballantine)

For werewolf Natalya Stravinsky, the supernatural is nothing extraordinary. What does seem strange is that she’s stuck in her hometown of South Toms River, New Jersey, the outcast of her pack, selling antiques to finicky magical creatures. Restless and recovering from her split with ex-boyfriend, Thorn, Nat finds comfort in an unusual place: her obsessively collected stash of holiday trinkets. But complications pile up faster than her ornaments when Thorn returns home—and the two discover that the spark between them remains intense.Before Nat can sort out their relationship, she must face a more immediate and dangerous problem. Her pack is under attack from the savage Long Island werewolves—and Nat is their first target in a turf war.

Wishful Thinking, by Gabi Stevens (April 24, Tor)

Free-spirit Stormy Jones-Smythe lives in a loving community of artists, but when she is chosen as the third fairy godmother, the Arcani world forces its boundaries and expectations on her. Luckily, even a rigid and strict bodyguard can’t contain her exuberance. Stormy is the final facet of the Power of Three. Together with the first two godmothers, Stormy has to face the biggest threat the Arcani have seen since the time of Merlin. Maybe she can rescue a bit of happiness for herself too. If she survives.

The Nekropolis Archives (Matt Richter, Books 1-3), by Tim Waggoner (April 24, Angry Robot)

Meet Matt Richter. Private Eye. Zombie. His mean streets are the city of the dead, the shadowy realm known as Nekropolis. You’ve got to keep your head in Nekropolis. But when you’re a zombie attempting to battle the vampire lords, that’s not as easy as it seems. This massive (800-page) omnibus editions collects all three Matt Richter novels—Nekropolis, Dead Streets and Dark War—plus a swathe of short stories.

Blackbirds, by Chuck Wendig (April 24, Angry Robot)

Miriam Black knows when you will die. She’s foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, and suicides. But when Miriam hitches a ride with Louis Darling and shakes his hand, she sees that in thirty days Louis will be murdered while he calls her name. Louis will die because he met her, and she will be the next victim. No matter what she does she can’t save Louis. But if she wants to stay alive, she’ll have to try. First in a new series.


Author Suzanne Johnson is a book geek with a fondness for a good dystopia. Her new urban fantasy series, scheduled to begin with the release of Royal Street on April 10 by Tor Books, is set in New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina. Find Suzanne on Twitter and Facebook.

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Suzanne Johnson

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Urban fantasy author with a new series, set in immediate post-Katrina New Orleans, starting with ROYAL STREET on April 10, 2012, from Tor Books. Urban fantasy author with a new series, set in immediate post-Katrina New Orleans, starting with ROYAL STREET on April 10, 2012, from Tor Books.
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