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Political intrigue in the afterlife is the order of the day in this short, but entertaining, fantasy romp. Eve Levine, the heroine from Kelley Armstrong's Haunted (also available on audio from Tantor Media) is probably a poor choice for an angel. She's a half-demon, a dark witch, and something of a rebel. The fates need her for her underworld contacts and her ability to deal dirty to get the job done, then reprimand her for using those same underworld contacts and dirty methods. She gets sick of this, and sets about to get herself fired. So begins the cycle of manipulation that is the thrust of this novella.

The djinn make themselves troublesome. It doesn't at first seem like an organized assault, just a testing of what they can get away with. They are allowed to torment people who go back on a summoning deal, so they tie up a witch to prevent her from carrying out her end of the bargain, and then begin tormenting her in earnest. The fates think this is a prelude to an uprising, masterminded by one of Dantalion's underlings while Dantalion is in exile. They tell Eve that, under no circumstances is she to go to Dantalion. She goes to Dantalion.

Dantalion sends her to his most trusted underling, and so begins the web of lies, tricks, and manipulations. Trust, it appears, should never be placed lightly into the hands of a demon, or an angel, as Eve is betrayed by one of her own. It keeps you guessing, and curious, throughout.

We also get some Greek mythology thrown in for fun, and played around with a bit. Armstrong breaks Cerberus into three dogs, then transforms the three fates into one goddess who moves from form to form à la the Morrigan from Celtic mythology. She is able to bring us into a world that is both familiar and fresh.

Overall, this is a fun listen, particularly appealing to fans of Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, and of course, Haunted. Laural Merlington's narration take a little getting used to -- she sounds more like a Regency-era lady than a butt-kicking demon hunter, but once you settle into her voice, it works. Its only downside is its length. At 90 minutes, it may not be quite long enough to manage the commute to and from work. If that's the case, load something else on your MP3 player to listen to after this is finished, or queue this one up for listening to right after Haunted.

Ivy Reisner is a writer, an obsessive knitter, and a podcaster. Find her at IvyReisner.com.