Dante Valentine, the necromancing, half-demon bounty hunter, returns for a third installment in this entertaining series from Saintcrow. This time out Dante is summoned, along with her demon lover Japhrimel, by Lucifer himself, who makes her an offer she can't refuse: it seems that four demons have escaped from hell, and Lucifer wants Dante to track them down and return them to his dark domain. Though there isn't much negotiating room when dealing with the Devil, Dante strikes a bargain and accepts the assignment. With the help of Japhrimel, she recruits a posse of supernatural beings and sets out to accomplish the Devil's dangerous mission. Of course, not all is what it seems-the Devil isn't called the Prince of Lies for nothing-and soon she and her crew find that their souls are at stake. Saintcrow's distinctive heroine is a tough, sarcastic, deadly swordswoman cursed with a vulnerable heart; she makes a sharp and likable lead. Though it's slow to take off, and Valentine spends too much time musing over events from previous books, readers will find the wait worthwhile once the story kicks into high-octane gear.
