877 and counting …

• Posted in Books I've Read

Finished Night Life by Caitlin Kittredge. I heard Caitlin speak on an urban fantasy panel at RT this year and picked up her book from the freebie room.

This urban fantasy focuses on Luna Wilder, a detective in Nocturne City who’s on the trail of a vicious serial killer. Complicating matters is the fact Luna is a lone werewolf without a pack, which means she’s pretty far down on the magical totem pole. Also, her police captain is doing everything in his power to keep Luna from finding the truth. Then, Luna meets Dmitri Sandovsky, a pack leader who was close to one of the victims. Sparks fly, to say the least. Too bad the killer has Luna in his sights — and is willing to do anything to bring her down.

One of the things I liked most about this book was Luna and her job. The reader actually gets to see Luna doing police work, visiting a crime scene, following up at the morgue, tracking down a suspect, etc. You get a feel for the mechanics of the job, and it’s a real part of the story and not just a toss-in or wallpaper, like some of the professions are in other books I’ve read. Also, the scenes between Luna and her sexist pig of a co-worker were hilarious — especially when she roughs him up for being, well, an idiot. 😎

I also liked the descriptions, particularly the one where Kittredge describes Dmitri and his Fu Manchu mustache. When’s the last time you read about a hero with a Fu Manchu mustache? (Although he doesn’t have it when Luna meets him.) Her characters resembled real people and not the perfectly buff guys or busty gals you see in a lot of novels.

I also really liked the map in the front of the book, which laid out where everything was in Nocturne City. Maps and glossaries are always pluses in my book. Yes, I know, I’m a total geek. :rolleyes:

The only real quibble I had was the relationship between Luna and Dmitri. I thought it developed a little too quickly, since Dmitri was sleeping with one of the serial killer’s victims and was going to make her his mate. I would have liked to have seen more of Dmitri’s grief and the two of them taking things a little slower.

Still, if you want to go on an urban fantasy reading binge (like I’ve been doing lately) and are looking for titles to try, pick up Night Life and add it to your TBR. You’ll probably enjoy it. Thumbs up.

Up next: Wild Thing, an anthology featuring Marjorie M. Liu, among others

6 Responses to “877 and counting …”

  1. Chasity says:

    Hey, this is the book you reviewed in the paper on Sunday.

    I’ll have to give this one a spot on my to buy list.

  2. Jennifer Estep says:

    Yep, I review them in the paper and then here. I have more space here to talk about what I liked/didn’t like.

    Not the best book I’ve read this year (that would be Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughn — you really need to get that one), but Night Life had its moments.

  3. Chasity says:

    I noticed the difference in the review here and the paper. This one has lots more details. The paper version is a condensed version. I just didn’t realize that you did reviews in the paper as well. Doh. Guess I should have! I know I’ve seen a food article by you, or I may have dreamed that. But alas.

    Warprize – I’ll have to give that a look see.

    I just picked up Patricia Briggs new book When Demons Walk. I’ve read a couple chapters. So far I’m not feeling it. Her Mercy books pulled me right in. Maybe it’s just me though. The last book I read took me about 3 weeks to finish. Normally I can zip through a book in less than a day. Who knows.

  4. Jennifer Estep says:

    Yeah, I don’t have as much room in the newspaper as I do here. No, the book column is the only thing I write these days — no food stories. Too much layout and other work to do.

    I think you’ll like Warprize. :buttercup:

    I still need to read Iron Kissed. I haven’t heard a lot about her new series. It features a secondary character from the Mercy series, right?

    I know what you mean. I’ve been on the same book two weeks now, although it’s more of a me not having time to finish it. I’m reading Halfway to the Grave. You’re right — Bones totally reminds me of Spike.

  5. Chasity says:

    I must have dreamed about that food article then. Must have been right after I read your monthly newsletter. Who knows. Last night I dreamed my dad had a whole dresser full of chapstick and I was pissed because I couldn’t find any chapstick.

    I finally finished the Patricia Briggs last night. Apparently the one I was reading was a sequel to her first book Masque. Which is really hard to find. It ended up not being too bad. I must have been in a bad mood when I started reading it.

    Oh you really do need to read Iron Kissed. Let me know when you start it, and I’ll read it again so we can discuss. I remember most of the details, but will probably need a refresher. I’ve probably read about 50 books since then.

    How are you liking Halfway to the Grave so far? I finished One Foot on the Grave recently, and I pretty much loved it. Bones makes that series for me. Cause you know, I love me some Spike.

  6. Jennifer Estep says:

    Maybe you were thinking about the recipe in the e-newsletter? I do one of those every month.

    Got to whittle down my TBR before I buy anything new, like Iron Kissed.

    I’m really liking HTTG. The author has a nice style that’s very easy to read. I’ve got about another 100 pages to go. Yeah, every time Bones is on the page, I’m thinking about Spike. But I love me some Spike too, so it’s not a problem. :bubbles:

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