Pale Demon

Pale Demon by Kim Harrison, 2011 Harper Voyager

     After the Coven agreed to grant her immunity for the black magic she'd used, Rachel Morgan, independent runner, spunky smart-ass, and day-walking demon, leaves Cincinnati to attend her formal pardon at the annual witches' meeting in San Francisco. She ends up ferrying Trent Kalamack, and her roommates Ivy and Jenks across the country in her mother's Buick.
     In St. Louis Trent releases the genetically engineered demon Ku'Sox from his prison. Like Rachel, Ku'Sox is a day-walking demon, but unlike Rachel he has no soul. Ku'Sox creates trouble along the way and very nearly kills Rachel. He was intended to be the bridge between witches and demons, but went crazy and was trapped magically and physically under the St. Louis Arch. Ku'Sox follows Rachel and her carload West to the Witches' Convention creating havoc.
     Rachel insists on believing the Coven will keep their promise, despite Ivy, Jenks, and Trent telling her otherwise. When she picks up the Coven's spy and the menagerie makes it to San Francisco Ku'Sox continues to cause problems for Rachel. Trent disappears on some Elven quest and all hell breaks loose.
     Despite everything the Coven of Moral and Ethical Standards has done to show Rachel they have no intention of upholding their deal when they can kill her, Rachel believes they will. When the Coven requires her aid to survive they have no choice but to agree to her terms. Rachel continues to battle internally with what it means to be a demon and whether she can remain a good person while still protecting her friends, family, and society as she knows it.
     Readers will enjoy the fast-paced action of Pale Demon along with its dose of inappropriate humor, uneasy friendships, and unexpected romance, all shoved into a Buick traveling from Cincinnati to San Francisco.

The Sign of the Twisted Candles

The Sign of the Twisted Candles by Carolyn Keene, 1959 Grosset & Dunlap

     Nancy Drew and her two friends, Bess and George, are stopped by a fallen tree and meets elderly Asa Sidney. Mr. Sidney lives isolated in an old mansion turned roadside inn with only the caretaker, his wife, and their adopted daughter Carol Wipple.
     They share afternoon tea and Nancy discovers Mr. Sidney is a distant relative of Bess and George. When the old man dies and Carol is named as his major heir a family feud creates a rift between Nancy and her friends. To resolve the issue with her friends Nancy must discover why Carol is named benefactress of such a large portion of the estate while the factions of Mr. Sidney's family fight over his money.
   Nancy must use all her diplomacy to maintain her friendships with the girls, while also finding the truth around the relationship between Asa Sidney and Carol Wipple. A straightforward investigation appropriate for readers who enjoy an uncomplicated mystery.