Fair Game

Fair Game (2012) Patricia Briggs

My. I was not expecting where that went.

Now that the werewolves have been outed, the Marrock has been far more strict about enforcing the rules. And Charles, as his enforcer, has been very busy. He has also become haunted by those he is forced to kill, and those ghosts are cutting him off from his wife, Anna. So when a request from the FBI comes in for a werewolf consultant, Bran (the Marrock, and Charle’s father) sends Anna and Charles, in the hopes a break from enforcement will help Charles.

In general, I’ve strongly preferred the Mercy Thompson series set in this world to the Alpha & Omega part of the series. Not that I disliked this series, I just really like Mercy and her stories tend to my mysteries while this series is more romance.

So, I was expecting a pleasant read, but not much more, yesterday when I picked up this book.

I ended up away past my bed time, because I couldn’t put it down.

This is, first and foremost, a mystery. Yes, Anna and Charles have problems to resolve, but the main arc of the story was finding and catching the serial killer. The mystery is quite good, and one of the reason I couldn’t put the book down.

The second thing, is that the events in the conclusion of this book are going to have an affect on Mercy Thompson, as she is married to the alpha of the Washington tri-cities.

Third, I like how far Anna has come. When we first met her, she was abused and cowed and frightened of everything. In this book, when she gets into trouble, she sets out to rescue herself. That’s a huge thing, and it makes me happy to see how she has come into herself and no longer fears everything.

I would NOT recommend this as an entry point to the series–this references events in the last Mercy Thompson book, and, as I noted, Anna’s growth and change over the course of the series are one of the (many) strengths of the story, so if you haven’t been following along, that change might not be as powerful.

But aside from that, this is a fabulous story, and I can’t wait to read the next Mercy Thompson book–as this series has switch to an initial hard cover publication, I’m extra glad I have a kindle, and can read it there.
Rating: 8.5/10

Published by Ace

 
 
 

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