A Chilling Tale

Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts by Laura Benedict, (Ballantine $27).

A new book from First Mystery Pick Isabella Moon ($14) author Benedict.

"After summoning a lover through a ritual part witchcraft, part Santeria, at the start of Benedict's spellbinding second novel, three 13-year-old Lolitas-Roxanne, Del and Alice-believe that their new teacher at Cincinnati's Our Lady of the Hills school, is the angel sent to deflower them. Roxanne successfully schemes to seduce Cuban-born Father Romero, who suffers terrible guilt as a result. When Alice and Del each falsely accuse Romero of acting inappropriately toward them, Romero is defrocked and loses his job. Seventeen years later, Romero returns to town with Varick, a demon disguised as a man, to punish the now adult schoolgirls. All become entangled in an unholy web of destruction that threatens innocent lives."