Reading Right Now:

                “Blood Memories” by Barb Hendee. Hendee is a fantasy author probably best known for the books she co-writes with her husband J.C. Hendee (Saga of the Noble Dead). I’m enjoying the unusual take she has on vampires--much more vulnerable and isolated than other books with vampire characters. This is the first book in a series and so far I’m looking forward to more.

On Hold Right Now:

                “The Taken” by Vicki Pettersson is a paranormal thriller with dead PI Griffin Shaw and still living journalist Kit Craig. As an angel, Shaw is supposed to collect souls, but when thugs attempt to murder Kit Shaw decides to save Kit’s life. He makes a deal with her: He will help her discover who is trying to kill her if she uses her contacts to try to solve the mystery of his own death and the murder of the woman he loved.  Pettersson spent ten years with Trapicana’s Folies Bergere in Las Vegas when she decided to start writing. “The Taken” is the first book in her Celestial Blues series “The Lost” which is the second book in the series just came out in March.

Special Interest:

                There seem to be more and more authors writing fun, exciting, well-written crossover books that fall into both the fantasy and mystery genre. One of my favorite authors whose books fall into this category is Jim Butcher. Butcher has written 14 books starring PI Wizard Harry Dresden (first book was “Storm Front”). Another author is Darynda Jones whose PI main character just happens to also be the grim reaper (the series starts with “First Grave on the Right”). Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series starts with “Spider’s Bite” which combines the paranormal and suspense. In Sue Ann Jaffarian’s charming mysteries the main character can see ghosts (Ghost of Granny Apples series which starts with “Ghost a La Mode”).  Patricia Briggs’s series featuring Mercy Thompson provides plenty of suspense around things that go bump in the night (like werewolves and vampires) (first book is “Moon Called”). Devon Monk’s main character Allison Beckstrom traces illegal spells back to their casters (nine books available with the first being “Magic to the Bone”). One can’t help but mention PI John Taylor who battles monsters in the Nightside (author Simon R. Green, the first book is “Something from the Nightside”). In the meantime, Sophie Lawson works at the Underworld Detection Agency trying to save the world from evil elements (Hannah Jayne is the author, “Under Wraps” the first book in the series). And magic-shop proprietor Alex Verus uses his second sight to defeat powerful Dark mages in London (author Benedict Jacka, first book “Fated”).