Tuesday, July 22, 2008

"The Outlaw Demon Wails" by Kim Harrison


Book 6 of the Rachel Morgan series. Yeah, that's right, Book SIX, so do yourselves (and me) a favor and go read the rest of the series if you haven't already. Oh, and be sure to do it in order because it will make a difference. Trust me.

OK, now for those of you who have been hanging with Rachel this whole time, well, this book was a bit different, yes? First off, we've lost our beloved Kisten. I still have that sliver of hope that Harrison will pull a Dallas-style maneuver on us and his death will all be just a horrible dream. But it's pretty clear that's not going to happen, so Rachel is moving on (as well as us, the faithful readers).

Describing the plot is a bit tough, though. There's a lot going on in this book, all of it moving Rachel forward to a big reveal - her true heritage. It's been alluded to several times that Rachel is more than just a witch and readers won't be disappointed this time - we get full disclosure. Yes! Trent Kalamack puts in his usual smarmy appearance; just when you thought maybe he might have a tiny bit of decency in his heart, he shows his true colors. And of course, there's the usual cast of characters, Jenks, Keasley, Ivy, etc. And, just to give us some romantic hope down the road, enter Marshal. Yep, the witch from Michigan shows up in Cincinnati and he makes it pretty darn obvious that he's there because of Rachel. The good news is that Harrison handles it with great delicacy - it would have been unbelievable for Rachel to move to a new man in just one book. I do expect to see Marshal in the next installment, and I'm hoping for great things there.

This is a series that just keeps improving, much like a fine wine. There are new characters that were briefly introduced this time - I look forward to their inclusion in the next book. And again, if your not reading this series, why the hell not? It's consistently good writing with good, steady plot development and wonderful characters. What more could you ask for?

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