Books like A criminal magic by Lee Kelly

Washington, DC, 1926: The 18th Amendment bans alcohol, but its prohibition of magic only stokes the city’s criminal underworld. Smugglers ferry magical contraband from the coast, and sorcerers conjure feats that aid mobsters’ violent enterprises. Underground venues called "magic havens" lure the public into immersive spells, alongside a mind‑bending, addictive elixir called "the sorcerer's shine." When Joan Kendrick’s family home is repossessed, a young sorcerer from Norfolk County accepts employment with DC’s most infamous gang, The Shaw Gang. Meanwhile, Alex Danfrey, a first‑year Federal Prohibition Unit trainee with a shadowed past, is assigned to go undercover among the Shaws. Their paths collide at the gang’s magic haven; as Alex deepens his cover, he falls under Joan’s spell. A new, potent breed of sorcerer’s shine threatens to overhaul the underworld, forcing Joan and Alex to question loyalties and motivations—and ultimately face each other in a high‑stakes cat‑and‑mouse duel.

First publish date: 2016