Autumn Bones

August 12, 2013
The second installment of Carey’s suburban fantasy series (after Dark Currents) can’t quite decide whether it’s supernatural chick lit, magical smalltown slice-of-life drama, or a lighthearted cozy mystery, but Carey’s ability to create a diverse, enjoyable cast of characters in a setting that feels natural to all of them carries it through. Though still attracted to werewolf cop Cody and psychic vampire leader Stefan, Daisy Johanssen—half-demon advisor to the police of Pemkowet, Mich., and liaison to the goddess of the tiny underworld that lies beneath it—is enjoying the human normality of her new boyfriend, tour bus driver Sinclair Palmer. Then his mother releases his grandfather’s duppy on the town to convince Sinclair to return to Jamaica. Carey’s nonhumans, especially the Outcast (immortal ghouls who feed on emotion), are neither goofy caricatures nor grandiose and unapproachable, and she has fun with minor characters like the funky rutting satyr who causes a gay club orgy. This visit with Daisy and friends, with their mostly solvable problems and relationship drama, is enjoyable in its own right and offers promise for future volumes.

September 1, 2013
Carey's latest supernatural urban fantasy, a sequel to Dark Currents (2012). A small town on the shores of Lake Michigan, Pemkowet caters to summer tourists, who flock in to goggle at Pemkowet's eldritch inhabitants--fairies, ghouls, vampires, naiads and so forth--whose benevolent supervisor is Hel, the Norse goddess of the underworld. Daisy Johanssen, daughter of a demon and a single mother, is Hel's enforcer and designated liaison to the Pemkowet Police Department. Her personal life is complicated enough. She lusts after her partner, werewolf Officer Cody Fairfax; the feeling's mutual, but Cody wants a traditional family and must mate with another werewolf. She finds Stefan Ludovic, the leader of the ghouls, or Outcasts--rejected by both heaven and hell, they're immortal and feed on emotions--dangerously alluring. And she's dating Sinclair Palmer, a seemingly normal human who organizes bus tours for the tourists. Neither is her caseload simple, what with a rutting satyr who kicks off a serious orgy, a hell-spawn lawyer sniffing around, hobgoblins swindling tourists with shell games and a teenager abducted by vampires. And then Sinclair's twin sister and mother show up. What he didn't tell Daisy is that both his sister and mother are powerful Obeah sorcerers, and if he doesn't return to Jamaica with them to take up his familial role, they'll release his grandfather's duppy, or ghost--with disastrous consequences. Daisy has moxie to spare and refuses to be intimidated. But she'll need all the help she can get. In Carey's capable hands, all this seems not just convincing, but enchantingly normal thanks to the flawless backdrop, skillfully articulated plotting and splendid characters. A fine addition to the series.

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