Dirty Magic (Jaye Wells)

This is straight-up urban fantasy, with a gritty, mean streets vibe. When a new potion appears in the Cauldron, one that turns its users into raging monsters with a thirst for human flesh, Kate Prospero is one of the cops assigned to the Magical Enforcement Agency to find out where it's coming from and stop it. Kate has the background for this assignment: she grew up in one of the covens, a magic cooker being groomed to take over the business from her Uncle Abe who ran one region of the city, but she gave all that up after her mother died and has now sworn off all magic use. But the new assignment drags her back into that part of her past, and seems to be dragging her little brother in with her. Kate will do whatever she has to in order to save her brother and fight this implacable enemy. I'm not in love with the grim atmosphere of such a dark police story, but this one is well done and the magic is blended with the contemporary world seamlessly. Kate is a believable hero, tough but vulnerable, determined but conflicted. I will read more.