For love of magic

Green (Jekyll & Hyde, Inc.) sticks to what he does best in this fun but familiar urban fantasy. As the current Outsider, it's Jack Daimon's job to protect humanity by "defusing the supernatural equivalent of unexploded bombs: all the weird artefacts and infernal devices left behind by forgotten civilisations." When his latest mission leads him to rescue innocent bystanders who've been sucked into a cursed painting, he meets the sultry, enigmatic Amanda Fielding, who is soon revealed as a supernatural being with a special agenda. She explains that the world's secret magical history was overwritten long ago, and she wants Jack to help restore things to their original state. What follows is a madcap journey through the greatest hits of English mythology, with Jack interacting with such figures as King Arthur, Robin Hood, and Beowulf while battling the stuff of modern conspiracy theories, including Men in Black and alien Greys. Given the focus on archetype and myth, it's fitting that Jack and Amanda inhabit Green's own fondly revisited protagonist templates: the highly competent man and frighteningly powerful woman who develop unshakable chemistry while facing impossible odds. Frenetic, snappy, and action-packed, this is a crowd-pleaser that doesn't ask too much from readers. Agent: Joshua A. Bilmes, JABberwocky Literary. (May)