Interesting Reviews from Harriet

Night Myst
Yasmine Galenorn
Jove, Jun 29 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780515148145

With the murder of Marta the witch whose throat was ripped apart and the death two years ago of her mother Krystal, Cicily Walters can come home as her reawakening wolf wants to. She inherits Marta’s magic business. This would mean finally returning to her hometown New Forest, Washington after two decades on the road with mom. Reluctantly, she feels the time is right.

In New Forest, something strange is happening to the magic born. They are either dying or vanishing. The NFPD ignores what is going on to some of the citizens as does the vampire overlord. Worse, Cicily senses a different nefarious shadow lingering as fear owns the Cascades town. Cicily’s friend, Fae prince Grieve tells her to leave if she is smart and her aunt has been abducted and allegedly has become a blood thrall to the vampires; if she still lives. Not heeding Grieve’s advice, Cicily fights back but the fae-vampires are coming for her too.
The first Indigo Court urban fantasy is an entertaining tale that introduces the reader to a world filled with mythological species and magic. Cicily is a solid person who has doubts about coming home after her mom fled town with her as a child and replacing Marta. However, the rest of the cast feels overwhelmed by too much insight into the rules of magic and what each paranormal species can do. Still the opening supernatural war is fun to read. Myst has begun the end of days that will leave her ruling the world. Harriet Klausner

Bonds Of Justice
Nalini Singh
Berkley, Jul 6 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425235447

In New York, Councilor Nikita Duncan finds too coincidental the deaths of several of her closest advisors and employees in the Bay area. She sends enforcer Max Shannon to San Francisco to investigate the recent deaths in order to ascertain if they were murder as she suspects has occurred. Nikita trusts Max’s sleuthing skills and as important his ability to thwart Psy mental influences even though he is human.

Psy Justice operative Sophia Russo volunteers to assist Max although she knows that each new memory extraction may mean her death. She fully understands her mind is fracturing due to her hazardous work that also dramatically reduces life spans. This is due to the consequences of telepathic shields being lowered dangerously so the J agent can take down the barrier of the prey they extract their information from. Still she refuses to quit as she works closely with Max on his inquiry.

This is a great police procedural romantic urban fantasy entry in a terrific series that seems heading to a pandemic cataclysm. Max is terrific as he understands the glass ceiling for primitive humans in law enforcement, but has unique skills that make him perfect for this investigation. The star-crossed romance enhances a terrific mystery as the world of Nalini Singh is deeply explored through the primitive cop and the Psy Justice. Harriet Klausner

Cold Sight
Leslie Parrish
Signet, Jul 6 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780451230744

Investigating a string of suspicious runaways, Granville Daily Sun reporter Lexie Nolan considers someone malevolent and sinister is behind the disappearances. As she digs deeper, her boss tells her to drop the story; stunning her as this has never happened before to the investigative journalist.

When another young girl Vonnie vanishes, Lexie knows she cannot live with herself if she quits. Instead she asks former Extrasensory Agent Aidan McConnell to help her find the latest missing person. Aidan informs Lexie he no longer searches for people after his last mission ended disastrously. However reluctantly he agrees to help as he finds himself unable to deny her anything. He has feelings he never allowed himself to have before he met sexy Lexie. They connect as they follow clues to Savannah.

This is an entertaining paranormal whodunit starring an intrepid reporter and a man with telemetric extrasensory psychometric abilities. The changing relationship between the pair is fun to follow as they investigate the abductions and murder. Although the villain is inane, fans will appreciate the first Extrasensory Agent urban fantasy romantic suspense due to the lead characters and Vonnie. Harriet Klausner