THE CAMPAIGN

San Francisco’s top political operative takes on her most demonic challenge yet in Davis’ supernatural novel, the third in a series.

Political consultant–turned–supernatural agent Olivia Shepherd is back in America following a dangerous assignment in Eastern Europe. Recently, she’s been focused on the internal politics of the Others—the witches, vampires, werewolves, and fairies who live secretly among us and whose relationship to the human world is overseen by a shadowy Council—but now her attention has been drawn back to the less magical (if no less brutal) world of human politics. Diana Chambers, the current American secretary of state, is running for president, and she wants Olivia to consult on her campaign. Olivia agrees, in part because Diana knows she’s a witch (they’ve worked together in the past) and in part because Diana’s main rival for the presidency has employed Olivia’s archnemesis, Stoner Halbert, whose earlier turn toward dark magic led to Olivia’s discovery that she was an Other in the first place. With her extensive campaign experience and a little help from her friends—including vampire brothers William and Josef—Olivia hopes she can make quick work of Stoner and ensure Diana becomes America’s first female president. Little does she understand that the demonic force unleashed by Stoner and his allies has the power to literally tear the universe asunder. Davis combines the realms of magic and American politics to create a fun, sometimes-surreal effect. “The candle wax and the animals are rituals associated with black magic used to empower the demon,” Olivia explains to a baffled campaign colleague. “We’ve got to keep you protected so Diana can get to the convention and accept the nomination.” Davis keeps her characters busy, and the breathless pace of the plot does not always leave room for the reader to enjoy the texture of the world or get to fully know the characters. Even so, fans of the preceding books will no doubt appreciate this dramatic conclusion to the series.

A mile-a-minute supernatural thriller set in the arena of presidential politics.