LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS
Charlaine Harris
ISBN: 0-441-00923-9
Fantasy/Mystery
Book #07-061
Sookie Stackhouse is an ordinary young woman with an extraordinary "dis"ability: she can read minds. This ability has caused her grief throughout her life, particularly when it comes to romance, because as she says, how can you make love with someone when you know what they really think about you and your body? When Sookie meets Bill the Vampire and realizes that she can't hear his thoughts, the mental silence is very attractive to her, and before long, she's got a real, live (not) boyfriend.
Being involved with a vampire has its own special problems. When Bill's vampire colleagues save Sookie's life, she feels obligated to accomodate when asked for a favor, she agrees to read the minds of people involved in the case of a missing vampire. Sookie's only condition is that if her abilities reveal the culprits, they must be handed over to the authorities and dealt with through legal channels.
Once in Dallas, Sookie encounters the Fellowship of the Sun, a fanatical anti-vampire group. The resulting chaos and carnage make for fast, frantic reading as Charlaine Harris masterfully pits the vampires and their foes against each other, with the intrepid Sookie smack in the middle. In this second installment of Harris's Stackhouse series, readers get more of Sookie's scrupulously honest self-analysis and her amusingly pragmatic approach to life. Harris has created a detailed depiction of vampire politics, and Eric, Bill's supervisor, proves to be a formidable enemy and a seriously good kisser.
Charlaine Harris keeps the action and the angst coming in this completely delectable page-turner. Sookie is a heroine readers can identify with, and her wise-cracking sense of humor leavens many a tense moment. Harris gives her imagination free rein, and the resultant account of modern vampire life is a marvel of wit and wonder. LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS is a breath of fresh air in a genre that is in high demand with readers, and that popularity shows no sign of declining any time soon. With Sookie Stackhouse, Charlaine Harris has earned her spot on the paranormal keepers shelf.
Showing posts with label paranormal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paranormal. Show all posts
Friday, August 03, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
The Chick and the Dead, by Casey Daniels
THE CHICK AND THE DEAD
Casey Daniels
ISBN: 978-0-06-082147-0
Mystery
Book #07-030
When Pepper Martin hit her head on the gravestone of mob boss Gus Scarpetti, she didn't just see stars, she began to see dead people. Gus needed Pepper to help him solve the mystery of his murder before he could succumb to his eternal rest. Once Pepper got the answer, she figured life would go back to normal, but Didi Bowman, a gum-chewing ghost in a poodle skirt and saddle shoes, has other ideas.
Didi claims to have written So Far the Dawn, a Gone with the Wind-type historical blockbuster that was made into a movie beloved by millions. The problem is, Didi died 50 years ago, before the book was published, and her sister Merilee, librarian and noted historian, has been lauded for decades as the author of the bestseller. When Merilee comes to town to donate the Bowman family home for a SFTD museum, Didi demands Pepper's help to reveal the truth. Caught between a rock and a hard place (reveal the truth and break the hearts of the nation, or refuse to help Didi and be haunted forever), Pepper reluctantly gives in.
Laid off from her job at the cemetery where the Bowmans are buried, Pepper finagles a job as Merilee's secretary. This gives her an insider's view of life with the diva, but it also keeps her in close contact with a weirdly unsettling cast of characters, including Elizabeth and Kurt, the spectral stars of the So Far the Dawn film, and Bob, the taciturn caretaker of the Bowman homestead. As Pepper unearths the details of Didi's short life, she discovers that there were several people who might have wanted the blonde bombshell dead: any of her numerous lovers, her granddaughter by her illegitimate (and now deceased) daughter, and, of course, her script-stealing sister. Is Pepper finally in over her head?
Casey Daniels has written a charmer of a mystery, with laugh-out-loud moments and plot twists aplenty. With two mysterious men popping in and out of her life and her penchant for poking her nose in where it doesn't belong, Pepper Martin may remind readers of Janet Evanovich's wildly popular Stephanie Plum. Pepper has all of Stephanie's wry spunkiness, and Daniels keeps the action and the comedy coming without ever hurtling over the top and straight into slapstick. Given the current popularity of paranormal plots, readers may pick up THE CHICK AND THE DEAD out of simple curiosity, but Daniels' skillful writing and delightful heroine will leave them quoting author Emilie Richards: "Write faster, Casey Daniels."
Casey Daniels
ISBN: 978-0-06-082147-0
Mystery
Book #07-030
When Pepper Martin hit her head on the gravestone of mob boss Gus Scarpetti, she didn't just see stars, she began to see dead people. Gus needed Pepper to help him solve the mystery of his murder before he could succumb to his eternal rest. Once Pepper got the answer, she figured life would go back to normal, but Didi Bowman, a gum-chewing ghost in a poodle skirt and saddle shoes, has other ideas.
Didi claims to have written So Far the Dawn, a Gone with the Wind-type historical blockbuster that was made into a movie beloved by millions. The problem is, Didi died 50 years ago, before the book was published, and her sister Merilee, librarian and noted historian, has been lauded for decades as the author of the bestseller. When Merilee comes to town to donate the Bowman family home for a SFTD museum, Didi demands Pepper's help to reveal the truth. Caught between a rock and a hard place (reveal the truth and break the hearts of the nation, or refuse to help Didi and be haunted forever), Pepper reluctantly gives in.
Laid off from her job at the cemetery where the Bowmans are buried, Pepper finagles a job as Merilee's secretary. This gives her an insider's view of life with the diva, but it also keeps her in close contact with a weirdly unsettling cast of characters, including Elizabeth and Kurt, the spectral stars of the So Far the Dawn film, and Bob, the taciturn caretaker of the Bowman homestead. As Pepper unearths the details of Didi's short life, she discovers that there were several people who might have wanted the blonde bombshell dead: any of her numerous lovers, her granddaughter by her illegitimate (and now deceased) daughter, and, of course, her script-stealing sister. Is Pepper finally in over her head?
Casey Daniels has written a charmer of a mystery, with laugh-out-loud moments and plot twists aplenty. With two mysterious men popping in and out of her life and her penchant for poking her nose in where it doesn't belong, Pepper Martin may remind readers of Janet Evanovich's wildly popular Stephanie Plum. Pepper has all of Stephanie's wry spunkiness, and Daniels keeps the action and the comedy coming without ever hurtling over the top and straight into slapstick. Given the current popularity of paranormal plots, readers may pick up THE CHICK AND THE DEAD out of simple curiosity, but Daniels' skillful writing and delightful heroine will leave them quoting author Emilie Richards: "Write faster, Casey Daniels."
Sunday, December 24, 2006
The Smoke Thief, by Shana Abe
THE SMOKE THIEF
Shana Abe
ISBN: 0-553-58804-4
Paranormal
Book #06-153
Clarissa Rue Hawthorne has made a name for herself in London as the Smoke Thief, a jewel thief as elusive as she is daring. Of course, no one knows that Rue is the person behind the thefts, and she likes it that way. Nearly ten years ago, she escaped Darkfrith, her hometown, and the clutches of her people, the drakon, a clan of shapeshifters with the ability to change into dragons. Unfortunately for Clarissa, her escapades have caught the attention of the very people she most wants to avoid, except that they are under the assumption that the notorious thief is a halfling male.
Christoff, Marquess of Langford and leader of the drakon, must catch the Smoke Thief before the clan is exposed to the mortal world. Kit is under pressure, because his clan is dying out and he must mate with a full-blooded female in order to carry on the line. Setting a trap for his prey, Christoff baits it with the Langford Diamond, gambling that the lure of the valuable jewel will be irresistible to his target. No one is more surprised than Christoff at the identity of the Smoke Thief, but when Clarissa proposes a plan to save the drakon, hunter becomes captive and Kit and Rue join forces for the good of their people.
Shana Abe has gifted readers with a gem of a story, taking an unusual premise and stamping it with her own magical touch. Kit and Rue are a sizzling combination, as wily and sensuous a couple as ever dreamed up by the greats of romantic fantasy. Abe's light touch with the lore and legend of the drakon makes for easy reading as she weaves their history into her plot. Kit is a wonderful hero, fully in charge of his people, charismatic and compelling, yet completely devoted to his chosen mate even in the face of all obstacles.
Rue's servants make for an excellent supporting cast, and, indeed, Zane gets his own story in Abe's next book, THE DREAM THIEF. The scenes in the menagerie are beautifully written, illustrating the growing trust and affection between Clarissa and Christoff in the midst of the animals' plight and their search for Herte, the Langford Diamond, the key to the drakon's survival. THE SMOKE THIEF is a magical read, as ethereal as smoke and incandescent as dragon fire. It takes a talented writer to carve out new territory in the realm of the paranormal romance, but Abe does the job with elegance and panache. THE SMOKE THIEF is a truly memorable love story, destined to be a classic.
Shana Abe
ISBN: 0-553-58804-4
Paranormal
Book #06-153
Clarissa Rue Hawthorne has made a name for herself in London as the Smoke Thief, a jewel thief as elusive as she is daring. Of course, no one knows that Rue is the person behind the thefts, and she likes it that way. Nearly ten years ago, she escaped Darkfrith, her hometown, and the clutches of her people, the drakon, a clan of shapeshifters with the ability to change into dragons. Unfortunately for Clarissa, her escapades have caught the attention of the very people she most wants to avoid, except that they are under the assumption that the notorious thief is a halfling male.
Christoff, Marquess of Langford and leader of the drakon, must catch the Smoke Thief before the clan is exposed to the mortal world. Kit is under pressure, because his clan is dying out and he must mate with a full-blooded female in order to carry on the line. Setting a trap for his prey, Christoff baits it with the Langford Diamond, gambling that the lure of the valuable jewel will be irresistible to his target. No one is more surprised than Christoff at the identity of the Smoke Thief, but when Clarissa proposes a plan to save the drakon, hunter becomes captive and Kit and Rue join forces for the good of their people.
Shana Abe has gifted readers with a gem of a story, taking an unusual premise and stamping it with her own magical touch. Kit and Rue are a sizzling combination, as wily and sensuous a couple as ever dreamed up by the greats of romantic fantasy. Abe's light touch with the lore and legend of the drakon makes for easy reading as she weaves their history into her plot. Kit is a wonderful hero, fully in charge of his people, charismatic and compelling, yet completely devoted to his chosen mate even in the face of all obstacles.
Rue's servants make for an excellent supporting cast, and, indeed, Zane gets his own story in Abe's next book, THE DREAM THIEF. The scenes in the menagerie are beautifully written, illustrating the growing trust and affection between Clarissa and Christoff in the midst of the animals' plight and their search for Herte, the Langford Diamond, the key to the drakon's survival. THE SMOKE THIEF is a magical read, as ethereal as smoke and incandescent as dragon fire. It takes a talented writer to carve out new territory in the realm of the paranormal romance, but Abe does the job with elegance and panache. THE SMOKE THIEF is a truly memorable love story, destined to be a classic.
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