Have Stakes Will Travel

Have Stakes Will Travel (2012) Faith Hunter

This is a collection of four Jane Yellowrock stories, ranging from the time when Jane and Beast ran wild to the time past the end of the last book.

“We Sa and the Lumber King” is set during the time when Beast was in control, probably the late 1800s when the US was being clear cut. Beast comes across a place where white men are cutting down all the trees and sending them away on barges and trains. She decides something needs to be done about this.

The second story, “Haints,” occurs soon after Jane had met Molly Trueblood–Molly has been hired to determine what is haunting a house, and the discovery turns out to be nastier than anyone had expected. I quite liked this story, as I enjoy the friendship between Jane and Molly.

I’d read “Signatures of the Dead” in the anthology it was originally published in, and it was this story that convinced me to get the first Jane Yellowrock book. The cop Molly and Jane met in “Haints” has come to Molly for help–an unknown number of vampires have slaughtered a human family, and they fear these murders are just the beginning. I may even have liked this story more on the second reading, since I picked up more bits and pieces of Molly and Jane’s relationship.

The final story, “Cajun with Fangs,” is set after the last Jane Yellowrock book, and was probably my least favorite story in the collection. Jane ends up in a Cajun town where vampires seem to be causing problems for the human population. It was an interesting story, but I thought the ending was entirely too neat and tidy.

If you have not read a Jane Yellowrock book, this is a good collection to peruse, to see if you’re interested.
Rating: 8/10

Published by New American Library

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