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Patricia Briggs: Fair Game
Alpha and Omega #3
Can just say before I start that though I'm not generally into werewolf and vampire books I adore Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson books and though it took me a while to drag myself away from Mercy I have grown to like her Alpha and Omega books very much. This, I think, is her best one yet. It comes after the last Mercy Thompson book in the timeline as both series interlace.
The werewolves have been out for a short while, no longer a closely guarded secret, but still the object of a lot of superstition and misunderstanding. This gives Bran, the Marroc, the leader of the American werewolves a problem in that it's much more difficult to hide when things go wrong – and things can go wrong, especially when an alpha doesn't keep strict control of his pack. Before being outed the werewolves would clean up their own mess, either dispensing justice or giving second chances as required, but now it's a zero tolerance policy and werewolves that might have been given second chances in the past, especially if newly Changed, are now condemned. Going after human prey is the worst crime a werewolf can commit. Bran's enforcer is his son, Charles, a two hundred year old tough-as-old-boots alpha, unusual in that he was born a werewolf, not made, and his ancestors are Indian (as he refers to them himself) with more than a splash of shamanic talent.
But Charles is in trouble and Anna, werewolf and wife knows it. One too many executions has left him plagued by guilt and he's broken his 'mate' bond with Anna so as not to drag her down.
Finally beginning to succumb to Anna's wisdom Bran sends Anna and Charles off to Boston to help the FBI hunt down a serial killer whose last three victims have been werewolves. Light relief? Maybe after what Bran normally sends Charles to do.
With a mixture of human, werewolf, fae and witch characters involved the hunt for the killer becomes intensified when a young woman is abducted and fae magic seems to be involved.
It's a fast, gripping read. Briggs' characterisation of both major and minor characters is spot on and the plot resolves very satisfactorily, throwing in a game-changing turn of events at the end that will affect future books in both this and the Mercy Thompson series. I look forward to the next one, whichever series it's in.
Alpha and Omega #3
Can just say before I start that though I'm not generally into werewolf and vampire books I adore Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson books and though it took me a while to drag myself away from Mercy I have grown to like her Alpha and Omega books very much. This, I think, is her best one yet. It comes after the last Mercy Thompson book in the timeline as both series interlace.
The werewolves have been out for a short while, no longer a closely guarded secret, but still the object of a lot of superstition and misunderstanding. This gives Bran, the Marroc, the leader of the American werewolves a problem in that it's much more difficult to hide when things go wrong – and things can go wrong, especially when an alpha doesn't keep strict control of his pack. Before being outed the werewolves would clean up their own mess, either dispensing justice or giving second chances as required, but now it's a zero tolerance policy and werewolves that might have been given second chances in the past, especially if newly Changed, are now condemned. Going after human prey is the worst crime a werewolf can commit. Bran's enforcer is his son, Charles, a two hundred year old tough-as-old-boots alpha, unusual in that he was born a werewolf, not made, and his ancestors are Indian (as he refers to them himself) with more than a splash of shamanic talent.
But Charles is in trouble and Anna, werewolf and wife knows it. One too many executions has left him plagued by guilt and he's broken his 'mate' bond with Anna so as not to drag her down.
Finally beginning to succumb to Anna's wisdom Bran sends Anna and Charles off to Boston to help the FBI hunt down a serial killer whose last three victims have been werewolves. Light relief? Maybe after what Bran normally sends Charles to do.
With a mixture of human, werewolf, fae and witch characters involved the hunt for the killer becomes intensified when a young woman is abducted and fae magic seems to be involved.
It's a fast, gripping read. Briggs' characterisation of both major and minor characters is spot on and the plot resolves very satisfactorily, throwing in a game-changing turn of events at the end that will affect future books in both this and the Mercy Thompson series. I look forward to the next one, whichever series it's in.
