Back from the Undead (The Bloodhound Files, Book 5) by DD Barant

 

It's taken me a while to get around to reading Back from the Undead, and I wish I'd gotten to it sooner. Of course, it ends in a cliffhanger, so perhaps it's a good thing there's only around three months until Undead to the World comes out. Here's the blurb for Back from the Undead:

Another work day, another case for the Bloodhound Files. But this time, Jace is truly stumped: How is she, a mere human, supposed to penetrate the dark heart of a child-trafficking ring of pire orphans—one that turns out to be part of a blood-farm operation, in the crime-ridden border city of Vancouver, British Columbia? Jace is in over her head. But with the help of her former lover, Tanaka—whose family is one of the last samurai clans left in Japan—she stands a chance at seeking justice for the condemned children… Until the Yakuza tries to put an end to Jace’s investigation. Jace risks more than death—this time, it’s the fate of her very soul that’s in danger . . .

I both enjoyed and didn't enjoy Back from the Undead. It was another wild ride, but there were some pacing issues this time that had me pushing forward, hoping things got better. Also, I expected some things to be answered from the previous book, and those things were put on hold, so we'll have to wait for another book (or longer, perhaps never) to get those answers. As for the writing elements:

• The plot was once again original and thought provoking.
• Pacing had some serious issues in a few places, but was fine for the most of the book.
• Prose and dialogue were very well done. Love the humor in this series, as well as the off-the-wall descriptions. Well done.
• Character development continues to be well done.
• World-building continues to be exceptional.

I'm back and forth on giving this one an 8 or a 9, but because of the cliffhanger, I'm settling at an 8. I'll leave the series at a 9 of 10, though.

• Book Rating: Back from the Undead: 8 of 10
• Series Rating: 9 of 10

The books in this series are:

1. Dying Bites
2. Death Blows
3. Killing Rocks
4. Better Off Undead
5. Back from the Undead
6. Undead to the World  (Nov 27, 2012)

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Better Off Undead (Bloodhound Files book 4) by DD Barant

 

Since Jace seems to be the only Human in law enforcement, and one of the rare humans on the planet she is now inhabiting... I've wondered if the author may eventually need to make her a supernatural. I didn't expect it to come this soon, but the title of the book,Better Off Undead, made me think it was going to happen.

I did not read the blurb before I read the book. And I'm glad I didn't.  I'm posting the blurb here, but I'll warn it is kind of a spoiler, so if you don't want to have a good idea of what is going to happen, you may want to skip below it.


Dark magic, unknown enemies, monsters of every stripe--FBI profiler Jace Valchek has seen it all. In this bizarre parallel universe, shape-shifting werewolves and blood-thirsty vampires don't even warrant a raised eyebrow. That is, until Jace has to face what life might look like as one of them ...

It starts off as just another run-of-the-mill assignment: to track down the rogue don of a mafia werewolf family before he upsets the delicate balance of the underworld. But Jace wasn't counting on being bitten...and soon she's fighting the growing wolf inside her with a startling antidote--vampirism. Stopping a bloody gangland war won't be easy when Jace is feeling some new, and very inhuman, desires ...

As for the writing elements:

• The plot was a good one. Closely tied to previous books without being a rehash of old stuff.
• Pacing was fine.
• Prose and dialogue were fine.
• Character development was a big focus of this book -- both for Jace and for several other characters.
• World-building continues to be detailed and creative and in some cases rather mind bending as you work around the metaphysics of it all.

I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. Something happens that I think was probably intended to happen since the beginning, but it's something I didn't want to see happen. I think it's going to cause complications later on, but I can also see how it might be good for Jace in the short term. Maybe.

I'm going to give Better Off Undead a 9 of 10, and I will raise the series rating from an 8 to a 9. There were no major time jumps or dimension surfing in this book, and I appreciated that.

• Book Rating: Better off Undead: 9 of 10
• Series Rating: 9 of 10

 

Heat Rises (Nikki Heat book 3) by Richard Castle

 

Heat Rises is the third Nikki Heat book, written by the fictional Richard Castle.

I think it's clear that some of the writers of the show must have a hand in the actual ghost writing of the Nikki Heat books. Either that, or the ghost writer has a hand in some of the scripts. Castle's humor comes through the same way in the written word as it does from Nathan Fillion.

If you are one who wants to see Castle and Becket get together, then you'll love the books, because Rook and Heat are very together.

As I've been reading the In Death series, I've gotten it into my head that Kate Becket is loosely based off of Eve Dallas. The way she walks, the way she interrupts her men when they joke and she wants to solve the murder, the way she studies her murder board, the way she organizes resources under fire. The only difference in the show would be that Eve admits she loves Roarke, where Kate keeps Castle at arms length. In the books, the relationship between Heat and Rook is closer to Eve and Roarke after they became and item and before they were married... minus the mansion and Summerset.

Here's the blurb:

Fast-paced and full of intrigue, Heat Rises pairs the tough and sexy NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat with hotshot reporter Jameson Rook in New York Times bestselling author Richard Castle’s most thrilling mystery yet.

The bizarre murder of a parish priest at a New York bondage club opens Nikki Heat’s most thrilling and dangerous case so far, pitting her against New York’s most vicious drug lord, an arrogant CIA contractor, and a shadowy death squad out to gun her down. And that is just the tip of an iceberg that leads to a dark conspiracy reaching all the way to the highest level of the NYPD. But when she gets too close to the truth, Nikki finds herself disgraced, stripped of her badge, and out on her own as a target for killers, with nobody she can trust. Except maybe the one man in her life who’s not a cop: reporter Jameson Rook.

In the midst of New York’s coldest winter in a hundred years, there’s one thing Nikki is determined to prove:  Heat Rises.

As for the writing elements:

• The plot was beautifully crafted. I thought I new the villain early on, but I was wrong.
• Pacing had some issues here and there, but was mostly okay.
• Prose and dialogue were fine.
• Character development wasn't a large part of the narrative, but wasn't completely ignored.

The previous books in this series rated an 8 and 9.  I've gone back and forth between a 9 and 10 for  Heat Rises, and in the end I will give it a 10 of 10, but will leave the series at a 9 of 10. It deserves a 10 for the complex plot, for snags and then fluidity of Rook and Heat's relationship, and for holding up the fantasy of Richard Castle as well as it does. The dedication to Roy Montgomery at the beginning of the book caught me off guard -- well played.

• Book Rating: Heat Rises: 10 of 10
• Series Rating: 9 of 10

1. Heat Wave
2. Naked Heat
3. Heat Rises

 

Ritual in Death (In Death, Book 26.5) by JD Robb

 

Ritual in Death is a well paced short story that packs a punch. Eve and Roarke are at a swanky party when a bloody man with a knife stumbles in.

Eve has experienced some paranormal things in previous books, and she tends to take a pretty logical and closed minded view about these things, as a general rule. However, Eve wants to be able to defend herself, so she has learned how to block her thoughts from those people sensitive enough to be able to pick up on them. She may be closed minded, but she's not stupid.

The story here moves along quickly and she finds the people responsible and arrests them all in quick order. It's not a typical case for her, but she handles it just fine.


As for the writing elements:

• The plot was different, but good.
• Pacing was well done.
• Prose and dialogue were excellent.
• Character development wasn't developed too much, but it was a short and that was fine.
• World-building was consistent with previous books.

Ritual in Death is a quick and dirty short story that's different from Eve's normal case load.

• Book Rating: Ritual in Death: 10 of 10
• Series Rating: 9 of 10

1. Naked in Death
2. Glory in Death
3. Immortal in Death
4. Rapture in Death
5. Ceremony in Death
6. Vengeance in Death
7. Holiday in Death
7.5  Midnight in Death
8. Conspiracy in Death
9. Loyalty in Death
10.Witness in Death
11. Judgment in Death
12. Betrayal in Death
12.5 Interlude In Death
13. Seduction in Death
14. Reunion in Death
15. Purity in Death
16. Portrait in Death
17. Imitation In Death
17.5 Remember When
18. Divided in Death
19. Visions in Death
20. Survivor In Death
21. Origin In Death
21.5 Haunted in Death
22. Memory in Death
23. Born in Death
24. Innocent In Death
24.5 Eternity in Death
25. Creation in Death
26. Strangers in Death
26.5 Ritual in Death
27. Salvation in Death
28. Promises in Death
29. Kindred in Death
29.5 Missing in Death

30. Fantasy in Death
31. Indulgence in Death
31.5  Possession in Death
32. Treachery in Death
33. New York to Dallas
  

 

Strangers in Death (In Death, Book 26) by JD Robb

 

One of the things I respect about this author is that when she borrows from another author, she gives credit where credit is due. We've seen an Agatha Christie paralel already, and in Strangers in Death we see an Alfred Hitchcock parallel.

Eve is not pushed for time on this one, and that's a nice change of pace from the previous book in this series. She gets to sleep and eat, and there is more humor this time around as well.

We haven't see Eve doing Lieutenant duties much in this series,  but we get to see a little of that here. She's in charge of her bullpen, and that hasn't really been dealt with in previous books. It was nice to see it being brought in, I have to wonder if we might begin seeing more of that as the series eventually heads towards putting her into Captain's bars.

Here's the blurb:

In 2060 New York, Lieutenant Eve Dallas is about to discover how the ties that bind strangers can kill.

As for the writing elements:

• The plot was excellent.
• Pacing was nice this time around.
• Prose and dialogue were excellent.
• Character development was tweaked a bit here and there. I'm glad that Eve's nightmares don't dominate her life as they once did.
• World-building was consistent with previous books.

Strangers in Death taxes Eve's patience  in more ways than one. It's one of those perfect murders, where the killer would have gotten away with it if not for an investigator who just won't quit.

• Book Rating: Strangers in Death: 10 of 10
• Series Rating: 9 of 10

1. Naked in Death
2. Glory in Death
3. Immortal in Death
4. Rapture in Death
5. Ceremony in Death
6. Vengeance in Death
7. Holiday in Death
7.5  Midnight in Death
8. Conspiracy in Death
9. Loyalty in Death
10.Witness in Death
11. Judgment in Death
12. Betrayal in Death
12.5 Interlude In Death
13. Seduction in Death
14. Reunion in Death
15. Purity in Death
16. Portrait in Death
17. Imitation In Death
17.5 Remember When
18. Divided in Death
19. Visions in Death
20. Survivor In Death
21. Origin In Death
21.5 Haunted in Death
22. Memory in Death
23. Born in Death
24. Innocent In Death
24.5 Eternity in Death
25. Creation in Death
26. Strangers in Death
26.5 Ritual in Death
27. Salvation in Death
28. Promises in Death
29. Kindred in Death
29.5 Missing in Death

30. Fantasy in Death
31. Indulgence in Death
31.5  Possession in Death
32. Treachery in Death
33. New York to Dallas