Black Howl
Christina Henry
Ace, Feb 28 2012, $7.99
ISBN: 9781937007331

Agent of Death Maddie Black escorts the souls of the dead to the afterlife. As long as she deals with the deceased, her life is pretty good in spite of her vocation. When she gets involved with the living, being a dead transporter is a respite.

However a weird phenomenon has gripped Chicago when people not scheduled to die yet suddenly pass away. Complicating matters these recently dearly departed refuse to move on as they wander the streets as dispirited spirits. Maddie knows if the dead fail to move on, her job becomes obsolete. She investigates the screaming dead; while she also searches for the abducted werewolf pack leader and their cubs, and get untangled from the convoluted politics of the underworld. Even with various species wanting to transport her in pieces to the afterlife, Maddie finds work heavenly compared to dealing with her thrall Gabriel, her rival J.B. and her ex Nathaniel is out of the picture–or so she thinks

The third Black Wings (see Black Night and Black Wings) urban fantasy is an engaging paranormal mystery with the heroine dealing with two investigations and playing dodgeball with the Fae and the males in her life. The storyline is fast-paced, but the ending feels more like a middle book set up rather than a strong climax. Still fans will enjoy Maddie’s efforts as a ghostbuster trying to insure the streets of Chicago are for the breathers.

Harriet Klausner