Bone Crossed

December 22, 2008
Briggs makes a well-deserved move into hardcover with the rousing fourth adventure for kick-ass were-coyote auto mechanic Mercedes Thompson. Healing in body and spirit after the events of 2008's Iron Kissed
, Mercy is preparing to marry alpha werewolf Adam Hauptman when an old friend asks her to help fend off a nasty ghost. It's a good time for Mercy to leave Portland, Ore.: vampire queen Marsilia is after her and her vampire friend Stefan for successfully hunting down a monster that should have killed them. Mercy leaves Adam to negotiate peace with Marsilia and heads to Spokane, Wash., to investigate the ghost, an unexpectedly complicated task. Though action supersedes characterization, the preternatural culture of vampire seethes and wolf pack politics is deeply intriguing. Briggs provides plenty of detail about Mercy's complex world without boring info-dumps, satisfying both new and longtime readers.

March 2, 2009
Verdict: Briggs makes her hardcover debut with the fourth novel in the increasingly popular Mercy Thompson series (Iron Kissed). Mercy is not just another cookie-cutter tough-chick urban fantasy heroine; she's got a lot of style and substance and an intriguing backstory. Series fans will appreciate the resolution of some ongoing plot lines, and the romantic tension is strong. Since Briggs's latest builds on events from previous novels, expect demand for earlier titles. Highly recommended. Background: Mercy is recovering from a brutal assault, her love life is complicated, and the mistress of the local vampire seethe is angry because Mercy killed one of her vampires. Then her college friend Amber shows up, complaining of a haunted house. As a shifter, Mercy can see ghosts, so she heads to Spokane and gets involved in a conflict with Michael Blackwood, a suave, and very persuasive, vampire. But is Blackwood behind the haunting, or is something more sinister at play?-Nanette Donohue, Champaign P.L., Champaign, IL

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