THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE - Jeaniene Frost
Night Huntress , Book 5
A Perfect 10
Avon
ISBN: 978-0-061-78318-0
February 2011
Urban Fantasy

Present Day

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her mate Bones have returned to the scene of the crime, so to speak—the town where they first met, when she tried to kill him, and their romance began.  Vampires have been disappearing inexplicably, and the tensions with the ghouls have increased from a fanatic's rhetoric that Cat's strange powers will bring about the enslavement of ghouls by vampires.  As Cat will soon learn, this belief isn't new.  Regardless, a
species war seems to be brewing, and Cat and Bones are right in the middle of it.

Friends, families, and allies will either come together to save the world or see it's demise if Cat and Bones aren't successful in stopping a war with the ghouls.  Readers will get a chance to visit with Vlad, Spade, and Mencheres, who always have Bones's back.  Along for the ride are Cat's old military team with a few interesting changes and additions that will get the blood boiling in fury, tears, and laughter.  And then there are the friendly blasts from the past that add little zingers to the story.  But the big chiller is the new 'ally' who comes with some pretty large cojones , the ghoul queen of New Orleans .  Cat's made 'sort of' friends with Marie in the past, but that's nothing compared to what happens this go-around.  Will any of them survive it?

Another thrilling offering in the Night Huntress series, THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE earns it's Perfect 10 rating in witty banter, an engaging mystery, intriguing mystical powers, compelling characters, and drama to spare.  Urban Fantasy at its best, it's just dark enough to play with the things that go bump in the night but with a levity that keeps the story upbeat and satisfying.  Readers not familiar with the previous books in the series might have a hard time understanding the complexity and nuances of the relationships, but that's just reason to pick up those books to enjoy as well.  Cat and Bones never seem to fail, certainly not on THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE.

Kathy