Unholy Magic

Chess Putnam navigates a gritty urban landscape where ghosts are real and the Church of Real Truth employs debunkers to separate genuine hauntings from profitable scams. As a church agent, Chess investigates supernatural claims while battling her own demons in the form of drug addiction and complicated relationships. When prostitutes in the dangerous Downside district start turning up brutally murdered, Chess finds herself caught between her official duties and a personal mission to protect the vulnerable. The investigation forces her deeper into a world where the living prove more dangerous than the dead, and the men in her life drag her toward a violent confrontation that threatens everything she's fighting to preserve.

Bahni Turpin delivers a powerfully nuanced performance that captures Chess's hard-edged vulnerability and the story's dark atmosphere. Her voice work distinguishes each character with precision, from Chess's gravelly determination to the distinct dialects of Downside's street inhabitants. Turpin navigates the novel's shifts between supernatural horror and emotional intimacy with remarkable control, maintaining tension during action sequences while allowing quieter character moments to breathe. The audio format enhances the story's immersive quality, with Turpin's delivery emphasizing the raw dialogue and internal monologue that define Kane's distinctive narrative voice.