The Kingdom — J.R. Mabry

The Berkeley Blackfriars are not your standard-brand priests--they swear like longshoremen and aren't above the occasional spliff or one-night stand--but if you've got a nasty demon on your ass, they're exactly the guys you want in your corner. In this, their first adventure, a magician destroys the archetypal avocado, and every last one of the purple fruits disappears from the face of the earth. When the Berkeley Blackfriars are called in to investigate, they discover that the magician was not working alone, and that avocados are not the only things slated to disappear. In order to stop those responsible they must face their own demons before a horrific disaster grips the world. A thrill ride from beginning to end, THE KINGDOM combines suspense, tragedy, whimsy, and horror in almost equal measure. Its world is peopled with characters that are poignant, complicated, and maddeningly human. Laced with a rich mythology worthy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the smart religious iconoclasm of Garth Ennis' Preacher comic book series, THE KINGDOM is an utterly unique adventure.