Saturday, March 8, 2008

"Iron Kissed" by Patricia Briggs


This series just keeps getting better and better! This is the third Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson book by Ms. Briggs, and I think it's the best one yet. I'm going to give her kudos right here for not dragging out the love triangle between Mercy, Adam, and Samuel; if you've read the first two books, you know what I'm talking about (and you should be reading them, cause they're that good!) I found it very refreshing that the author didn't drag out that plot point; too many of them do.

OK, if you haven't been keeping up, a bit of background on our favorite coyote, Mercy. First, she's a walker; she's a mixed breed, half Native-American, half Caucasian. She was the product of a one-night stand and never knew her father; her mother sent her to live with the werewolves out west, hoping they'd be able to help her with her magical nature. As far as she knows, Mercy is the only one of her kind.

Werewolves aren't the only magical creatures known to Mercy; she's tangled with vampires and has known several of the fae. And this time around, one of the fae needs her help. Zee, the fae she's buying her auto shop from, has been arrested for the murder of a human. Mercy is certain that Zee didn't do it; he'd asked her to help investigate murders of fae on their reservation (the fae may be out, but they're also being herded into reservations "for their safety", much like the Native Americans of today). The man Zee is accused of killing was the one responsible for the murders, so it's not too hard to see why the police believe him to be guilty. Unfortunately, the fae don't like outsiders poking around in their business, so Mercy has them to contend with. To her, it looks like the fae are willing to let Zee take the fall, possibly even die, for something he didn't do. She may be the only one who can help him, whether he wants that help or not.

I thought the pacing of the story was just right, not too much action or romance in any given part. The mystery was well-written; I started to figure it out by the end of the book, but not too soon before then. And, as I said at the beginning of this review, the romantic triangle is resolved in this entry, which was nice. Too many times I've grown bored with a series because the author refuses to wrap up plot points; life is not static, people! Things change, and that should be reflected in books, too. This is a great read, and I suggest finding a copy of this book for yourself - today!

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