Black Water

Black Water (2014) Faith Hunter

This is a collection of three Jane Yellowrock short stories / novellas: Black Water, Snafu, and Off the Grid.

Black Water is set after Blood Trade and before Black Arts, as Jane returns to Chauvin after receiving a text from Rick’s family that someone with a gun was looking for her. One of the things I like about this story is that Jane isn’t dumb enough to go looking for trouble by herself. She lets people know where she is, what she’s doing, and she goes looking for help. It’s one thing to be an independent kick-ass heroine, but it’s something even better to recognize that one has limits and should ask for help when it’s needed.

Snafu is an early story, where we see Jane going to interview for her first internship after she’s gotten her PI license. She’s still unsure about Beast, and as yet unaware of the special powers that Beast has given her. It’s a very short glimpse into Jane’s past.

The third story takes place just before the latest book, Broken Soul, and introduces a character about whom apparently a new book is being written.

Jane has been sent by Leo to Knoxville to see if she can resolve a problem the local vamp is having.

Again, once Jane realizes the extent of the problem, she calls in for backup, instead of charging in. I really appreciate heroes who know their limits and aren’t capable of doing everything themselves.

The new character is Nell, a young woman who has escaped a religious commune and is slowly building a life for herself. She’s quite different from Jane—not at all ass-kicking—which I appreciated. I like kick-ass heroines, but variety is nice as well.
Rating: 7/10

Published by Intermix Books

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