Jericho

Starred review from April 18, 2016
In Gordon's superb follow-up to 2015's Gideon, Lauren Mullin is coming to terms with her powers as a witch and as a Child of Endor. Her role is to guard the "thin places" such as Gideon, Ill., that separate the living and the dead. But Gideon's residents are leaving, and without support from the other Children of Endor, she fears for the town's future. When the enigmatic Gene Kaster approaches Lauren with an offer to head to Carmody Peak, the Oregon woodland retreat of the wealthy Andrew Carmody, and meet others on the council, she hopes for a relaxing few days and a chance to ask for the council's help, but instead she gets more trouble. Andrew wants Lauren to help his unhappy, powerful teenage daughter, Nyssa. The nearby ghost town of Jericho is a nexus for strange happenings, and something diabolically evil is lurking there, hungering for Nyssa. Lauren promises to protect the girl with her life. This gripping contemporary witch tale is a heady brew with an atmospheric, fully realized setting and genuinely creepy chills. Agent: Jennifer Jackson, Donald Maass Literary.

March 1, 2016
The past won't stay buried in this supernatural horror story. Lauren Reardon has defeated the evil that gripped the small town of Gideon, Illinois, but she's not quite at rest. She's hearing voices nibbling at the edges of her reality. She knows there's more danger to face. So when she's invited to a sort of retreat at the home of the wealthy, notorious Andrew Carmody, it feels like an answer, maybe even a lifeline. Except this trip isn't quite what it seems. Something is very wrong at the Carmody compound--it may be related to the disappearance of Andrew's wife, Fernanda, which he's rumored to have had something to do with, or it may be something even darker. The situation is thick with politics, hidden motives, and dangers from the world beyond. Lauren is an engaging heroine, determined to do what's right, and there's plenty of ick and ooze here for horror readers to enjoy. But Lauren is fundamentally an outsider in the Carmodys' world, and that fact weakens the emotional impact of the story. In her previous outing, Gideon (2015), she was searching for the truth about her own family; here, she's more like a professional brought in to solve a tricky problem. However, the plot moves along quickly enough to keep readers engaged. This book isn't as strong as the first in the series, but it's a quick and enjoyable read.

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April 15, 2016

Witch Lauren Reardon, last seen in Gideon, is tasked with healing places where evil can enter the world. There are legends of ghosts and spirits at an old Oregon logging camp called Jericho, and Lauren must face whatever darkness resides there.--MM

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2016
In her debut supernatural thriller, Gideon (2015), Gordon introduced readers to a group of witches who protect the world from the thin places where demons and other evils can escape from the netherworld to the present day. In this follow-up, Lauren Reardon, the powerful (if unorthodox) witch, has saved the town of Gideon, but a growing disquiet is nipping at the edges of her consciousness. She travels to the Pacific Northwest at the invitation of Andrew Carmody, a charismatic and powerful billionaire, to a retreat at his family compound. Unfortunately, Lauren finds that all is not well with the Carmodys, and an abandoned logging site near the compound holds mysteries and a formidable evil with its own agenda. The pacing is deliberate at the start; Gordon takes her time setting up the motivations and scheming of all the players in the compound. The latter half of the story picks up the pace with furious battles and imaginative action. Jericho has the feel of a demonic Jurassic Park: substitute the bizarre, gruesome, and ghostly for dinosaurs.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)