Cassidy Blake has encountered spirits before.She's met ghosts in Edinburgh and poltergeists in Paris, and now she's in New Orleans, city of beignets, jazz funerals, and 42 cemeteries, where her parents are filming the third episode of their paranormal investigation program. It's not long before Cassidy, an in-betweener who has escaped death and as a result can interact with the dead, catches the unwanted attention of an Emissary. This terrifying creature is unlike any spook Cassidy has ever dealt with; its job is to bring those who have defied death to the other side-those like 12-year-old Cassidy. In order to defeat the Emissary, Cassidy will lose something-or someone-no matter the path she chooses. Not knowing which road to follow is frightening, but the scariest thing of all is not knowing how this ends. Armed with her spirit-guiding pendant and accompanied by ghost Jacob Hale (whose foothold in the living world seems to be strengthening) and Scottish friend and fellow in-betweener Lara Chowdhury, Cassidy charges ahead. Intensely curious and furiously independent Cassidy must learn to proceed with caution and know when to ask for help. Her first-person narration is often interrupted by sarcastic Jacob, who can hear her thoughts, a narrative device that adds levity to the scares. The conclusion leaves the door open for another adventure. Cassidy is assumed White; there is diversity in the supporting cast.Another strong entry in a series offering thrills and chills. (Paranormal adventure. 8-13)

Gr 5-8 In the third installment of Schwab's "City of Ghosts" series, 12-year-old Cassidy Blake finds herself in arguably the most haunted city in the world, New Orleans. In the previous book, Cassie and her parents visited Paris to film their ghost-hunting show, The Inspecters , where she attracted the attention of a poltergeist and ran into a mysterious and terrifying skull-faced being. When Cassie enters the Veil during a tour of New Orleans cemeteries with her parents, she discovers that the skull-creature in black was not a figment of her imagination and it has followed her across the Atlantic. Cassie and Jacob must team up again with Lara, Cassie's in-betweener friend from Scotland, to locate a secret society that might know how to banish the monster stalking her. This is a solid entry in the series and builds upon the already established world rules. It explores the meaning of friendship while it introduces readers to new locations and their history, allowing them to tag along for a spookily exciting adventure. VERDICT Purchase where magical realism adventures and previous books in the series are popular. Sara Brunkhorst, Glenview P.L., IL