Thursday, September 20, 2007

Greywalker - Kat Richardson


Greywalker
Kat Richardson
Roc

Urban Fantasy

Harper Blaine was working what should have been a by-the-numbers case, when her target suddenly exploded into violence. The attack on her was so vicious that she was clinically dead for roughly two minutes. Unaware of this, Harper is haunted – literally – by the strange fog and shapes that seem to seep into the edges of her vision. Once aware of what happened, Harper enlists the aid of the Danzingers. Ben, a linguist, and aficionado of the theoretical aspects of the paranormal; and Mara, a witch; help Harper to acclimate to her newly acquired skill.

Harper will need to acclimate as quickly as possible. She is now a Greywalker: an individual who can exists both “here” and “there.” She’s still intent on living her life as normally as possible, working a missing persons case, and tracking down a long-lost antique; but the denizens of “there” recognize her for what she is, and are drawn to her to help them with their unfinished business. As a new Greywalker, Harper is often unsure which side of the line she’s working until it’s too late. In short order, she finds herself in contact with ghosts; and embroiled in the politics surrounding the area’s most powerful and ruthless vampire.

This novel, the first in a proposed series, displays great promise. The ideas are interesting and the execution is unique. Something feels vaguely unfinished, though. Perhaps this was a stylistic choice by the author, mean to echo Harper’s continued resistance to her new status. Harper is involved in a lot of cases, many overlapping. Each one is interesting, but since there are so many, each one gets rather short shrift. The cast of characters is widely varied, and I hope to see them developed further in future novels.

Rating: 7 ½ (trade paperback)
October 2006
ISBN# 0-451-46107-X

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