Summer Knight by Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden is a wizard for hire, the only one in Chicago’s Yellow Pages.
His latest client is Mab, the Winter Queen of Faerie. She makes Harry an offer he literally can’t refuse. Harry has to find out who killed the Summer Knight or die trying.

Butcher does an exceptional job making wizardry seem normal. His characters are quirky and surprisingly believable. I enjoy his plots, I have yet to figure out before hand who did what. Harry has ethics and a strong moral compass. He is an eminently likeable protagonist.

I highly recommend the entire series. You will be seeing more as I have finally purchased all the ones that have currently been printed.


Body of work of Jim Butcher

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Blood Rites by Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden is up to his hips in naked women. Asked to be security on an adult film set, Harry discovers it just isn’t that sexy. Harry makes a discovery that changes both his life and the way he looks at life in this story.

Once again, I enjoy the self depreciating humor that Butcher imbues in his protagonist. Harry is an eminently likeable person with an admitted rough around the edge skill set. His choice of friends and foes provide the basis for entertainment. Murphy is beginning to be seen as more than just a friend and Harry’s discovery of family colors his entire outlook.

I highly recommend the entire series. You will be seeing more as I have finally purchased all the ones that have currently been printed.

Body of work of Jim Butcher

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Death Masks by Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden is once again in the line of fire. Between his war with the Red Court Vampires and his quest for the Shroud of Turin, Harry finds a wealth of action and demands on his wizardly talents.

Reminiscent of the hard boiled detective stories but characterized by the supernatural, this series is eminently entertaining. Dresden is not a towering super hero. He is an ordinary guy trying to survive in life with what he considers his normal behavior. Always looking out for the victim, Harry is in constant danger from supernatural predators. Harry is dying to love and be loved but true love seems to be forever out of his reach.

I highly recommend the entire series. You will be seeing more as I have finally purchased all the ones that have currently been printed.


Body of work of Jim Butcher

Web Site: http://www.jim-butcher.com/

Kitty’s House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn

Kitty is a radio talk show host. She deals with paranormal questions on her show. She is invited to a retreat with other paranormal experts. Oh, yeah, Kitty is a werewolf.

Once again, I am surprised. I was very dubious as to my liking this book. I really enjoyed it. Mz. Vaughn does a great job fleshing out the characters. You find yourself pondering the ramifications of being a supernatural being. Intolerance is highlighted and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to extrapolate the obvious relationship to realities intolerances. The story has plenty of action and enough twists to satisfy most mystery fans. It was hardly a surprise to find vampires involved although at most they were bit players. I will seek out and read more of the Kitty series. It isn’t a cerebrally challenging book but it has beaucoup entertainment value.

I highly recommend the book.

Body of work of Carrie Vaughn

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Dark Stranger by Susan Sizemore

A VIP get captured when an enemy fleet surprises and overwhelms her escorting space ships. The Hajim don’t discover the VIPs identity and she is imprisoned on a common prison planet. Her striving for survival while she keeps her status secret is the thrust of the story.

As a fan of fantasy and scifi I expected to really enjoy this book. I didn’t. I think the premise was solid and could have been really exciting. The first thing that skewed my perception was the “smoldering” cover. That should have clued me into the idea that sex might be more dominating than plot. Zoe and Raven seemed more like caricatures than characters. The book seemed more appropriate for Harlequin romances than fantasy. I have a strong suspicion it will sell very well as romance novels seem to do. For me it’s genre was misplaced and thusly disappointing. I think if I had anticipated a romantic novel I may have been less dismayed. I am an avid fantasy and scifi fan and this just doesn’t fit into my preconceived notions of what those genres exemplify. With that said, I do think that the book will be popular, just not with die hard scifi/fantasy buffs.

Body of work of Susan Sizemore

Review

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Blood On the Water by P.N. Elrod

This is the 6th in a series of depression era detective stories. As sequels go, this was better than average. I enjoyed it more than my last Elrod, Fire in the Blood. I find detective stories enjoyable but add the vampire aspect and it becomes positively entertaining. The Vampire aspect is decidedly underplayed. No screaming damsels or gushing blood, more of a how did I get into this fix type of Vampire. I recommend it. It is a very quick read.


Body of work of P.N. Elrod

Site of P.N. Elrod: http://www.vampwriter.com/

Fire in the Blood by P.N. Elrod

This is the 5th in a series of depression era detective stories. I mentioned in the last Elrod review that when I ran across a detective series set shortly after prohibition with a hard nose by soft hearted P.I. as the main character I tried it out. Jack Fleming the main character is a vampire. In this book he confronts areas of his condition and personality that cause him great emotional stress. The story lines are simplistic and even the style seems dated but that doesn’t seem to detract from the enjoyment. If you plan on reading it on a plane, take another book along unless it is a very short flight. It is a very quick read.


Body of work of P.N. Elrod
Site of P.N. Elrod: http://www.vampwriter.com/