Sunday, February 11

Kelley Armstrong: Stolen

An unethical parapsychologist and his psychotic millionaire backer are kidnapping supernatural beings in order to study them (the doctor) and then hunt and kill them (the millionaire). A kind of supernatural UN convenes in order to stop them but before any action can be taken the world’s only female werewolf is kidnapped. She escapes and brings back her fellows to put an end to the bad guys and their evil plans permanently.
This is Armstrong’s second book and I found it much more entertaining than her first (Bitten) which I think had a less sustainable story line. It took me a while to come around to this author’s voice but now that I have I find I quite enjoy her work. One aspect that I particularly like is the way her characters are unapologetic about who and what they are. Here werewolves hunt and kill (humans as well as other animals), her vampires drink blood straight from the source, and it is presented as a simple fact of life. There is very little of the angst that other authors make such characters feel and certainly no self hatred of the "I’m a terrible monster, how can I live with myself" kind. The relationship between the two main characters can become a bit tedious at times (can’t live with him, can’t live without him, okay we get it already) but unlike the first in this series it is not the focus of the book. There was plenty of action to keep me turning the pages.
In Stolen Armstrong introduces a number of supernatural characters and I have no doubt that she will follow up on their stories in future novels. If you like your crime/suspense stories with a touch of the otherworld you might like to give Stolen a go.-Lynn

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