Curse of Jacob Tracy

Curse of Jacob Tracy by Holy Messinger
308 Pages

"St. Louis in 1880 is full of ghosts, and Jacob Tracy can see them all. Ever since he nearly died on the battlefield at Antietam, Trace has been haunted by the country's restless dead. The curse cost him his family, his calling to the church, and damn near his sanity. He stays out of ghost-populated areas as much as possible these days, guiding wagon trains West from St. Louis, with his pragmatic and skeptical partner, Boz.

During the spring work lull, Trace gets an unusual job offer. Miss Fairweather, a wealthy English bluestocking, needs someone to retrieve a dead friend's legacy from a nearby town, and she specifically wants Trace to do it. However, the errand proves to be far more sinister than advertised. When confronted, Miss Fairweather admits to knowing about Trace's curse, and suggests she might help him learn to control it in exchange for a few more odd jobs. Trace has no interest in being her pet psychic, but he's been looking twenty years for a way to control his power, and Miss Fairweather's knowledge of the spirit world is too valuable to ignore. As she steers him into one macabre situation after another, his powers flourish, and Trace begins to realize some good might be done with this curse of his. But Miss Fairweather is harboring some dark secrets of her own, and her meddling has brought Trace to the attention of something much older and more dangerous than any ghost in this electrifying and inventive debut."

Set as a series of short adventures that blend to a greater book I thought the novel was entertaining.  There is definitely room for further books and I would welcome more character development.  

Fifth House of the Heart

Fifth House of the Heart by Ben Tripp
390 Pages

"Asmodeus "Sax" Saxon-Tang, a vainglorious and well-established antiques dealer, has made a fortune over many years by globetrotting for the finest lost objects in the world. Only Sax knows the true secret to his success: at certain points of his life, he's killed vampires for their priceless hoards of treasure.

But now Sax's past actions are quite literally coming back to haunt him, and the lives of those he holds most dear are in mortal danger. To counter this unnatural threat, and with the blessing of the Holy Roman Church, a cowardly but cunning Sax must travel across Europe in pursuit of incalculable evil--and immeasurable wealth--with a ragtag team of mercenaries and vampire killers to hunt a terrifying, ageless monster...one who is hunting Sax in turn."

I thought this was an excellent entry into the realm of vampire fiction with some unique twists that sets it apart from other vampire tales but doesn't totally discount them.   I especially liked "Sax" as a character. 

Pokergeist

Pokergeist by Michael Phillip Cash    266 pages

Pokergeist is the fourth novel by as-yet-to-be-discovered author Michael Phillip Cash that I’ve read, and I think this one is his best yet.

The story opens in Las Vegas. Poker legend Clutch Henderson comes from a poker legend family; his grandfather was a champion player. He taught Clutch how to play the game.

Clutch is good. After all, this is his nineteenth attempt to win the million-dollar gold bracelet in the International Series of Poker. His opponent is an Internet poker sensation, Adam “The Ant” Antonowski. It’s the final hand; Clutch can practically feel the bracelet’s weight on his wrist. Everything he ever dreamed of is just a card away. Suddenly, Clutch can’t breathe. There is a heaviness in his chest. Words fail him. He falls to the floor.

One year later, Telly Martin has lost everything. It started with a layoff and spiraled down from there. Now he and his girlfriend Gretchen are living in a seedy hotel, barely able to eat and make the rent.

Telly also has dreams of winning the International Series of Poker. He’s a pretty good player, but with luck he could go all the way. All he needs now is the ten thousand dollar buy-in fee. Yeah, right, like he has that kind of money lying around.

Then Clutch shows up in ghost form to act as Telly’s mentor.

There are no real surprises in this plot line. Still, it’s well done and interesting reading. It’s a lot of fun too.

I give Pokergiest 5 out of 5 stars.  

The Map: A Jackaby Story

The Map: A Jackaby Story (Jackaby #1.5)

by William Ritter
57 pages
 
Abigail and Jackaby must tame an enormous (and carnivorous) rabbit, defend a castle, and master a dirigible if they want to find the treasure and get back to New Fiddleham alive.

Abigail hopes that her birthday will slip by unnoticed and uncelebrated, but her employer, detective of the supernatural R. F. Jackaby, has other plans. Using magical party crackers that teleport the pair to unknown destinations in time and space and a cryptic map that may lead to a forgotten treasure, Jackaby intends to give Abigail what he considers to be the best gift of all--adventure.

This e-novella came out as a teaser/bridger for those who are waiting for Beastly Bones to be published. Although I prefer to hang out with Jacakby and Abigail for longer than 100 pages, this was a great "filler" while waiting for Beastly Bones. Miss Rook would prefer that Jackaby forget her birthday, but what he has in mind takes them on a while treasure seeking quest across England and even goblin territories based on the song Whisky in the Jar. If you enjoy time with these characters, this madcap mini adventure won't leave you wanting. 

Beastly Bones (Jackaby #2)

Beastly Bones by William Ritter
304 pages
Expected publication Sep 22 2015***


“I’ve found very little about private detective R. F. Jackaby to be standard in the time I’ve known him. Working as his assistant tends to call for a somewhat flexible relationship with reality.”

In 1892, New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer R. F. Jackaby are called upon to investigate the supernatural.

First, a vicious species of shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens, and a day later, their owner is found murdered with a single mysterious puncture wound. Then in nearby Gad’s Valley, now home to the exiled New Fiddleham police detective Charlie Cane, dinosaur bones from a recent dig mysteriously go missing, and an unidentifiable beast starts attacking animals and people, leaving their mangled bodies behind. Charlie calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt for a thief, a monster, and a murderer.

If (like me) you couldn't get enough of R.F. Jackaby, here he is again with his stalwart assistant, Abigail Rook, defending New England from the creatures of the paranormal world. 

The dialogue is still full of whimsy Brittishisms, and snappy comebacks between Abigail and her employer. The book is still filled with mythical creatures (some of which I've heard of, and some I'm not sure that William Ritter didn't entirely make up). We are introduced to a host of new characters: a massive, gruff and friendly hunter; a snappy female reporter; 2 bickering scientists: one a younger, charismatic fellow and the other an older, austere, and rather pompous gentleman; plus the locals of a small town, farming community. The plot was a bit slow and felt forced, and some of the supernatural elements left me with more questions than answers. 

The worst part is that now I have to wait another year for the 3rd installment. :-(

***This review based on an uncorrected proof sent out by the publisher for prepublication review.

Broken Homes

Broken Homes by  Ben Aaronovitch
324 Pages


"My name is Peter Grant, and I am a keeper of the secret flame -- whatever that is. Truth be told, there's a lot I still don't know. My superior Nightingale, previously the last of England's wizardly governmental force, is trying to teach me proper schooling for a magician's apprentice. But even he doesn't have all the answers. Mostly I'm just a constable sworn to enforce the Queen's Peace, with the occasional help from some unusual friends and a well-placed fire blast. With the new year, I have three main objectives, a) pass the detective exam so I can officially become a DC, b) work out what the hell my relationship with Lesley Mai, an old friend from the force and now fellow apprentice, is supposed to be, and most importantly, c) get through the year without destroying a major landmark. Two out of three isn't bad, right? A mutilated body in Crawley means another murderer is on the loose. The prime suspect is one Robert Weil, who may either be a common serial killer or an associate of the twisted magician known as the Faceless Man -- a man whose previous encounters I've barely survived. I've also got a case about a town planner going under a tube train and another about a stolen grimoire. But then I get word of something very odd happening in Elephant and Castle, on a housing estate designed by a nutter, built by charlatans, and inhabited by the truly desperate. If there's a connection to the Crawley case, I'll be entering some tricky waters of juristiction with the local river spirits. We have a prickly history, to say the least. Just the typical day for a magician constable."

 I am enjoying this series although it has its valleys and peaks in writing and story development. 

Devil's Detective

Devil's Detective by Simon Kurt Unsworth
289 Pages


"Thomas Fool is an Information Man, an investigator tasked with cataloging and filing reports on the endless stream of violence and brutality that flows through Hell. His job holds no reward or satisfaction, because Hell has rules but no justice. Each new crime is stamped "Do Not Investigate" and dutifully filed away in the depths of the Bureaucracy. But when an important political delegation arrives and a human is found murdered in a horrific manner--extravagant even by Hell's standards--everything changes. The murders escalate, and their severity points to the kind of killer not seen for many generations. Something is challenging the rules and order of Hell, so the Bureaucracy sends Fool to identify and track down the killer. . . . But how do you investigate murder in a place where death is common currency? Or when your main suspect pool is a legion of demons? With no memory of his past and only an irresistible need for justice, Fool will piece together clues and follow a trail that leads directly into the heart of a dark and chaotic conspiracy. A revolution is brewing in Hell . . . and nothing is what it seems."

A wonderful re-imagination of Hell, an okay mystery (fairly easy to figure out).  I enjoyed reading just to see the world created by the author.

House of the Rising Sun

House of the Rising Sun by Kristen Painter
435 Pages

"Every vampire has heard rumor of the mythical place where their kind can daywalk. But what no vampire knows is that this City of Eternal Night actually exists. And its name is New Orleans. For centuries, the fae have protected the city from vampire infestation. But when the bloodsuckers return, the fragile peace in New Orleans begins to crumble. Carefree playboy Augustine, and Harlow, a woman searching for answers about her absent father, are dragged into the war. The fate of the city rests on them --- and their fae blood that can no longer be denied."

This was an okay book and as a series has potential.  When I was reading the book I kept feeling as if I had missed the first volume of the series but this is actually the first book.  In my mind that means that the world is not fully created yet by Painter. 

Wonder of All Things

The Wonder of All Things by Jason Mott
303 Pages

"On an ordinary day, at an air show like that in any small town across the country, a plane crashes into a crowd of spectators. After the dust clears, a thirteen-year-old girl named Ava is found huddled beneath a pocket of rubble with her best friend, Wash. He is injured and bleeding, and when Ava places her hands over him, his wounds disappear. Ava has an unusual gift: she can heal others of their physical ailments. Until the air show tragedy, her gift was a secret. Now the whole world knows, and suddenly people from all over the globe begin flocking to her small town, looking for healing and eager to catch a glimpse of The Miracle Child. But Ava's unique ability comes at a great cost, and as she grows weaker with each healing, she soon finds herself having to decide just how much she's willing to give up in order to save the ones she loves most."


Mott's follow-up to the Returned (a book that was made into a tv series) continues in the paranormal vein.  Mott has an engaging style of writing and while the ending is somewhat predictable I would still recommend this book to others.

Turning Season

Turning Season by Sharon Shinn
341 Pages

 A Shifting circle novel continues the story of a community of shapeshifters.  Karadel is one such shapeshifter who is unable to control when she shifts and what animal she becomes.  Her circle of friends and fellow shapeshifters are threatened by a series of events that might expose their secret.


Sharon Shinn is a local author and I've pretty much enjoyed everything she has written.  While I'm not a huge fan of the Shifting Circle novels,  they are still an enjoyable read.

Future Falls

Future Falls by Tanya Huff
326 Pages



Huff returns to her series on the Gale family with its controlling matriarchs.  Charlie Gale continues to come to grips with her wild power and her attraction for Jack who is outside her 7 year zone of appropriate mates (convoluted rituals that are part of the family dynamic).  To make things more stressful a large asteroid is going to crash into Earth in 22 months and no one seems to be able to stop it.

This latest entry by Huff still has some humor and moments of brightness but we spend well over 2/3rds of the book with Charlie and Jack moaning about how they can't have one another and then the book sums up the asteroid with a line about "Oh, I took care of the asteroid and made it go boom."

Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase

Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
390 Pages

Krista read this book and really liked it.  Set in London, England the increase of ghostly phenomena has spawn an industry of ghost hunters.  Since younger people are the only ones sensitive enough to see and hear the ghosts, they form the backboards of these businesses to remove hauntings from residences. 

I thought the book was okay and might be willing to read the second book to see if the series gets stronger, but I thought it was nowhere near Stroud's Bartimaeus series which was a young adult series book popular with teens and adults.

Bone Clocks

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
624 Pages


The character of Holly Sykes finds herself the center of a war between two small groups of people who have a magical ability.  One group is able to reincarnate into new bodies as they die, keeping their past memories.  The other group leaches off the physic abilities of others to extend their lives.  However the book isn't really about this struggle which fades into the background for the majority of the books.  Instead it is a series of different parts, with different narrators, all of whom touch on Holly's life.  Some narrators/parts are unsympathetic and it was difficult to get through them.  Other parts were better and I wish they would have been longer.  There were several times when I was tempted to put the book down and give up but overall it was a good book and I'm happy I finished.

The Parasol Protectorate 4 and 5

Heartless and Timeless by Gail Carriger, 385 and 402 pages

While this series is still quite good, it seems to be slipping away from Carriger. There are a couple of important plot points that seem rushed or only half thought out. It almost seems as if she had the general points she wanted to cover but didn't know how to transition the story along them. This leads to some choppy and unlikely events. The only thing that holds the story together are the exceptionally designed characters and the interlaced humor.

Heartless, despite an assassination attempt, starts off slower than the rest of the series and almost seems to stall out in the first half. Luckily the action and excitement really ramp up to an explosive finish.

The highlight of Timeless is the baby Prudence. She, like her mother, is very talented at being a bother and causing mayhem wherever she goes. As this is the final book of the series I was disappointed with it. There are a lot of questions that remain unanswered and it seems like Carriger was really building up to another book that would wrap everything up.

Overall the series was worth the read and was entertaining, but like any series had its highs and lows.

A Better World

A Better World by Marcus Sakey
380 Pages

The second book of the Brilliance saga returns with the tensions between brillants (those with special abilities) and non-brilliants rising.   When a terrorist group of brillants takes steps to hold three American cities hostage, the White House turns to agent Nick Cooper, former anti-terrorism agent and brillant himself to help come up with a solution.  However, all is not as it seems and Nick quickly finds that assumptions he made in the last book may be wrong.

This series is entertaining and well written and I can't wait for the third book to be released.

Watcher in the Shadows

The Watcher in The Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon            262 pages

Irene’s family has moved to a new town following the death of her father.  Nearly a year after his death it seems their fortune has changed.  Her mother was offered a good position and it seems that she and her brother, Dorian, will be able to go back to school instead of looking for work to help support the family.  Once they arrive however, Irene becomes involved with Ismael, a young fisherman.  When his cousin, Hannah, is found murdered, Irene begins to wonder if there is any truth to the ghost stories she has heard in the village and whether her family might also be in danger.  This book didn’t hold my attention very well.  Despite the supernatural mystery going on, I didn’t find it that scary and my mind kept wandering while I was reading.  A teen reader might like it better than I did, but I probably won’t be recommending it very strongly to anyone.

Blameless

Blameless by Gail Carriger, 374 pages

Blameless is the third book in the Parasol Protectorate series. Since Alexia has left Lord Maccon's house and protection she has faced danger around every turn. From killer lady bugs, vampire and thrall assassins, and the Templars. All while dealing with a most delicate condition.
This book has a lot of the same action we have already seen. Though this one does have an ornithopter and a hand in a jar, so a little extra weirdness. All in all this is not a bad series and I have enjoyed it thus far.

Timeless

Timeless by Gail Carriger, 402 pages

Lady Alexia Maccon and her husband, Lord Maccon, have mostly adjusted to living with a vampire and Lord Akeldama and his hive have mostly adjusted to living with werewolves but everyone is constantly adjusting to live with the Maccons daughter, Prudence. Prudence has the ability to steal immortals immortality. For example, if she touches a vampire, she becomes a vampire. Luckily, the effects reverse if Alexia touches her so no lasting harm has come to anyone. In this novel, Lady Maccon has been summoned to Egypt to meet the vampire Queen, Matakara. Matakara wants also to meet Prudence and Lord Maccon will not allow them to travel alone. After all, this will also give them a chance to examine to possible origin of the God-Breaker Plague, especially as it appears the Plague may be expanding. They need to figure out what is happening so they can either stop it or control the spread, assuming that Matakara plans to let them survive their meeting. This is the action packed, funny, fifth book in the Parasol Protectorate series. People who like this style of supernatural historical novels will love this series.

Book of Life

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness
561 Pages

The third and final book of the All-Souls trilogy finds Matthew and Diana back in the present and preparing to do battle with the covenant as well as Matthew's evil progeny, Benjamin.  While we see a conclusion, Harkness leaves the door open for another series.

This book should appeal to a wide range of fantasy and historical fiction fans.  It has similarities to the Outlander series as well as Rice's books on vampires and witches.

Changeless

Changeless by Gail Carriger, 374 pages 

This continues the parasol protectorate series that started with Soulless. The plot follows Alexia Tarrabotti still as she and Lord Maccon work through their new statuses. (A small aside, I am not being vague to be mean, I am being vague as I cannot give away any spoilers.) Anyways there are also new problems in the supernatural area as well. There is something weird that is happening that prevents the werewolves and vampires from changing. This also makes them completely mortal. As you can imagine this throws everyone into a panic and the accusations fly. Also while all of this is going on Lord Maccon’s old pack has found themselves without a leader.

I really enjoy reading this series as it is quite unique from everything else. Though some people have been giving me a hard time for reading this steampunk Victorian age fiction, I fully intend to complete the series.