Undead and Unwary

October 15, 2014
The (un)lucky thirteenth book in Davidson's Undead series again features Betsy Taylor, the designer shoeloving vampire queen who has recently inherited her half brother as an adopted son, along with the management of Hell. Popular culture references abound, beginning with the dedication to Benedict Cumberbatch, the delicious, delicious man upon whom the author claims to have the most undignified crush. Finally giving in to having to face up to her responsibility as manager of Hell, Betsy (who is also a Cumberbatch fan) goes to the gray, featureless wasteland, where she is helped by Antyes, the very same evil stepmother who once tried to have her buried in shoes from Payless! Betsy turns Hell into the most hellish shopping mall ever. Meanwhile, back in St. Paul, Jessica's infant twins have disappeared, Dr. Mark is desperately trying to keep from rotting away, which is problematic, given that he is a zombie, and others are betraying Betsy. Davidson's breezy, sassy, sexy style, rife with parenthetical asides and allusions to previous installments, is fluffy fun for her many fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)