And back to amazing! The Lovecraftian influences really dominate this volume and I loved every second of it!

This volume makes a return to the more compelling horror aspects of the first volume and builds on the reader's understanding of both what has happened to make Josephine the way she is now and also exactly what this book she's stolen from the cult really is. It's split into four interlocking stories. The first and the last involve Jo and the book and the middle two stories involve other women who were trapped in the same pattern that has ensared Jo.

The Case of Alfred Ravenscroft - Texas, 1936



Jo meets with a pulp fiction author who has personal experience with the cult that made her what she is. He’s seen the book that the cult uses for their sermons and sacrifices, when he was a boy down in Mexico and tells Jo about his experiences. An unexpected encounter at his house leaves Jo terrified but with a better understanding of what's happening to her.

A Lovely Sort of Death - France, 1286 A.D.



A young woman named Mathilda living in medieval France wakes up with no memory of what's happened to her. Men in her village start to react in violent, horrifying ways and, of course, this leads the village to brand her as a witch. Somehow she survives being burned and finds refuge in a forest cabin as she tries to discover what her strange new abilities are and how to survive with strange men now hunting her.



Down the Darkest Trail - Colorado, 1883



“Black” Bonnie is a young, female outlaw with the ability to control the men in her gang. After being captured by a priest and a Native American man who seem to know a lot about her and her abilities, they make a bargain to get their hands on an occult book that will explain more.

Just a Glance Away - Romania, 1943



This story moves back to Jo, whose conversation with the Texan author opened her eyes to the hidden realities around her. She’s drawn to Romania to find out more from Hitler’s mystic priests who she learns are involved with the same occult magic that put her in her current situation. And we finally get the back story on the connection between her and Walt, the corrupt cop in San Francisco from the first volume.



Whereas the noir elements were the focus in the first volume and to some extent in the second, the Lovecraftian horror elements are the focus here. It's clear that Brubaker is setting up a pattern involving these women and the book that is so important to the tentacle monster cult (they have a name but I can't remember what it is). I loved the connections that this book is making between the previous two volumes as it slowly builds the horror of what was done to Josephine and why. I don't know how the hell she's going to beat this cult's intentions for her but I'm more compelled than ever to find out!

Overall this is an excellent third volume that more than makes up for the lacklaster second. I highly recommend it!