The Anatomy of Ghosts
Andrew Taylor
Hyperion, Jan 17 2012, $15.99
ISBN: 9781401310738

In 1786, Tim Turdman finds the body of young Georgie Holdsworth, who drowned in the Thames. His father John the bookseller is despondent but conceals his grief from his wife Maria whose depression frightens her spouse but is understandable as she helplessly watched her son drown in the river. She insists she speaks to her deceased offspring with the help of a medium. A fire destroys the bookstore that contains John’s investment leaving him broke. Angry and grieving John authors a book to prove to Maria that she cannot communicate with Georgie and her channel is a con artist. His effort leads to Maria committing suicide by jumping into the Thames near where she last saw her child.

Lady Anne Oldershaw hires a depressed John to catalog her late husband’s library that she is bequeathing to Cambridge University. Her son Frank, a Jerusalem College student, has a nervous breakdown following his assertion that he saw the ghost of murdered Sylvia Whichcote. Lady Anne asks John, as a paranormal fraud expert, to help her son realize how inane his assertion is. John knows first he must learn what the lad saw as he struggles through the nasty Holy Ghost Club and their Master Dr. Carbury only to find his haunting mission changed.

This is a great late Georgian thriller that will keep the audience wondering whether to believe in ghosts or something more sinisterly human. The storyline starts melancholy in the opening chapters, but changes tone when the bookseller comes to Cambridge as he gets involved with a murder mystery that has him reconsidering his contention that ghosts are delusions of the parasitic relationship between the desperate and the amoral who take advantage of these depressed souls.

Harriet Klausner

Allegiance
Cayla Kluver
Harlequin Teen, Feb 28 2012, $9.99
ISBN: 9780373210435

Her father King Adrik of Hytanica forced his daughter Alera to marry hedonistic Lord Steldor, son of the Captain of the King’s Guards Lord Cannan. Once they wedded, Adrik removes the crown from his head, places it on the new monarch King Steldor and vows allegiance to his replacement. However, Alera does not want her spouse and refuses to consummate their marriage as she loves Narian of her country’s enemy Cokyri.

The Overlord of Cokyri uses his mystic abilities and the hostage of a woman Narian cares about to force him to betray Hytanica where he was treated well. Narian is to lead the invasion that will end the long running hot and cold Legacy war with Cokyri victorious. When he takes his troops into combat, Alera’s loses what is left of her innocence as she thought her beloved would never commit atrocities against the kingdom that treated him well.

This is an entertaining young adult romantic alternative medieval historical that contains fantasy elements. The irony of the two warring nations are neither remembers what the original dispute was about and the plight of Alera who if she lived in the adversarial kingdom, she would be the ruling Queen and not just the wife of the king. Although it is critical to read Legacy before perusing Allegiance to understand the two kingdoms and their complicated ties that bind them, readers will enjoy this entry as Alera must choose between her love for her country symbolized by the king she loathes, and her love for her enemy symbolized by the Commander she loves.

Harriet Klausner

All Things Wicked
Karina Cooper
Avon, Jan 31 2012, $7.99
ISBN: 9780062046932

Juliet Carpenter the witch fell in love with Caleb Leigh but he betrayed her and killed her Coven of the Unbinding witches who treated him as family. Two obsessions keep Juliet going; she needs to know why but even stronger is a need to avenge what he did to her and her “kin”.

One year later Juliet finds Caleb in a seedy motel, just like the demons he runs from always do. Her compulsion to kill him supersedes her desire to know why so she goes after him with a knife, which she plunges into him. Caleb survives but feels overwhelmed by the guilt of the wicked thing he did though his motive was to protect his sibling Cordelia and himself from her coven’s power grabbing sacrifice of them. When adversaries arrive with dire intentions of abducting the girl and killing her ally, Caleb, who still loves his Jules, knows this is the beginning of his last stand to keep his pledge of insuring the witch who owns his wicked heart is safe as long as what is left of his declining brain stays rational.

The third Dark Mission romantic urban fantasy (see Lure of the Wicked and Blood of the Wicked) expands the incredible Cooper universe beyond the New Seattle environs in a stunning coming of age thriller. Fast-paced and filled with action, readers will relish the romance between two people struggling with an inconvenient truth of being in love at a time when both should be in hate (at him). Wickedly dark, Karina Cooper provides a powerful futuristic twisting tale.

Harriet Klausner

Autumn: Aftermath
David Moody
Dunne Griffin, Mar 12 2012, $14.99
ISBN: 9780312570026

One nanosecond ago everything was fine; a moment later 99% of the human race died; however over the next three months the dead failed to stay dead as they returned as the mindless indead with an innate instinct to kill the 1% of human survivors. Several of the 1% survivors reach the remote island of Cormansey; access exclusively by air ad boat, making this isolated rock zombie free for the fifty-one humans including a pregnant women. They helicopter to Chadwick to obtain needed supplies.

Another of the 1% made it to fortified Cheatham Castle. These twenty-one survivors go to Chadwick for supplies too. The two human groups collide as the castle dwellers believe the islanders are encroaching on their territory of Chadwick. The islanders invite the Chadwick crew to join them on the island as there is strength in numbers. Many want to go but their leaders refuse to give up their power. As tension mounts, the two small pockets of humans seem ready to war with each other instead of allying against the greater threat.

The final Autumn urban fantasy (see Autumn: Disintegration and Autumn: The City) is a great finish to a fabulous zombie thriller. The underlying premise is that those on power obsess with remaining in power at any cost even to their own group’s survival. With a deep look at the human need to dominate or subordinate, readers will relish this entry as only the strong survive by using the weaker as fodder.

Harriet Klausner

Anna Dressed in Blood
Kendare Blake
Tor Teen, Aug 30 2011, $17.99
ISBN: 9780765328656

Cas Lowood is a chip off the old block just like his late dad was a chip off the old block and if he has a kid too, etc. His widow mom the witch supports her teenage son as he does the family vocation ghost hunting.

Cas’ latest mission is to kill Anna of the white dress that she wore when she was murdered back in ‘58, dripping blood and infamy for slicing and dicing those who inanely dare enter her haunt. When Cas enters her house in Thunder Bay, Ontario; Anna is confused that her out of control obsession to kill fails to deploy as it always does. He feels identically the same. As each is afraid of the other, both are more afraid of the loneliness accentuated by their meeting. Others have deadlier opinions on what should happen to the ghost and the hunter.

Anna Dressed in Blood is a great teen horror mystery starring two lonely beings who find a deep affinity with each other. The story line is fast-paced and filled with gore, romance, and a cold case mystery. Kendare Blake provides a strong opening act with this tense paranormal beloved enemies’ thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Alpha Instinct
Katie Reus
Signet, Feb 7 2012, $7.99
ISBN: 9780451236098

Her pack was devastated by the silver poisoning that left all the males murdered and few females still alive. Alpha Ana Cordona, supported by her sisters and the other survivors, takes charge trying to keep the pack together and safe from further insidious assaults and the offer of protection from Taggert, Alpha chief of what until recently was a rival pack.

Connor Armstrong and his warrior wolves return to the beleaguered pack he left years ago. He knows he hurt Ana when he deserted her, but also realizes like she does too that they are his soul mates. Although she has doubts about the prodigal alpha coming home to take charge, Ana and her few survivors have little choice especially when another member is poisoned.

The first Moon Shifter romantic urban fantasy is an engaging thriller in which the wary dysfunctional relationship between humans and shifters will remind readers of the X-Men. Fast-paced, the strong murder mystery anchors the paranormal elements while also enhancing the second chance at love romance. Sub-genre, fans will take immense pleasure exploring the Reus’ mythos.

Harriet Klausner

Almost Everything
Tate Hallaway
NAL, Feb 7 20122, $9.99
ISBN: 9780451235664

In humid hot St. Paul, hybrid witch-vampire Anastasija Parker’s sort of boyfriend purebred vamp Elias Constantine lives in the basement of the home of her mom, queen of the witches. Though Ana’s dad is the king of the St. Paul vampires, she knows vamps and witches are natural enemies. Yet her mom and Elias enjoy discussing 1970s nostalgia while treating Ana like a terrible two year old for calling that era ancient history.

Meanwhile her ex Nikolai Korov the Russian-Romany rock star wants a second round with Ana, but, he is the junior vampire slayer, which makes for a dysfunctional relationship when your GF is the vampire princess. She also is hounded by high school hockey star turned actor mundane Matthew Thompson. However, relationship dynamics fade when the Prince of the Southern Region vampires Luis David Montezuma arrives; demanding a replacement mate since Anna freed Khan from a marriage alliance between the two regions or war will occur. Ana mentions she has no one to offer except Elias; Montezuma accepts, but Ana explains her dad banished them. War between the regions seems likely unless Ana can find a way to prevent the hostilities.

The boys of summer in the city heat up St. Paul as the teen protagonist finds she misses her simpler geek days rather than deal poorly with witch and vampire politics along with men wanting her. The final Vampire Princess urban young teen fantasy (see Almost Final Curtain and Almost To Die For) is an engaging fast-paced thriller as the dhampir heroine learns life is convoluted when you are the potential heir to the region’s witch and vampire thrones while seemingly every male besides Dr. Who wants her.

Harriet Klausner

Apocalypse To Go
Katharine Kerr
Daw, Feb 7 2012, $7.99
ISBN: 9780756407094

Across the multiverse, there are infinite earths with many containing people who fight to keep Chaos off their respective plane. to stop worlds colliding. On our earth, the top secret Agency consists of psychics whose mission is to prevent the chaos from entering the orb.

Trans-word enforcement organization TWIXT wants to liaison with the Agency. They vigorously recruit Apocalypse Squad Israeli Interpol agent Ari Nathan. His lover Agency operative Nola O’Grady learns her father in jail on Earth 5, a horrible place but not as horrendous as earth 3, which was destroyed by radiation. Nola must go to 3 because her brothers (world-walker Michael and finder Sean), in a failed attempt to save their dad, are in prison in a grotesque San Fran; a place that is a dark, gritty and filled radiation. Accompanied by Nathan and Spare 14, she travels to 3 to rescue her siblings and with bit of luck her father.

The latest O’Grady dark urban fantasy (see License to Ensorcell and Water To Burn) is a terrific thriller placed within an urban fantasy. Psychic powers are prevalent on some of the many earths. Nola and her family are strong psis whose extrasensory skills along with others make the paranormal seem real. However, Earth 3 makes the tale work as a grim world in which a Capone like individual rules amidst the radioactive poison.

Harriet Klausner

Article 5
Kristen Simmons
Tor, Feb 14 2012, $17.99
ISBN: 9780765329585

Following the latest war to end all wars, the Unites States revokes the outrageous Bill of Rights that interfered with law enforcement security and enabled deviant behavior; and replaced it with the strict Moral Statutes. The Bureau of Reformation enforces the laws in which soldiers brutally hunt down and arrest anyone who is in noncompliance of the strict Moral Statutes. Those rule breakers are taken away and never return.

Seventeen year old Ember Miller remembers that just a few years ago it was okay to read all sorts of books before the massive censorship and going out at night was acceptable before the curfew. Though Ember is intelligent and more important flexible in working her way around the new system, she will soon learn how naïve she truly is. Her odyssey starts when soldiers arrive and arrest her mother for violation of Article 5 as “compliance is mandatory” with no alibis accepted. One of the arresting thugs is Chase Jennings, the young man Ember loved. Feeling betrayed, Ember vows to rescue her mom. Her journey is dangerous as the legal enforcers hunt violators and predators stalk the seemingly helpless like a female teen. With her on her quest is Chase

This dark dystopian thriller will remind readers of Big Brother in Huxley’s 1984 and Firemen in Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Ember is a courageous protagonist while Chase goes from villain to hero. Action-packed, young adults (and us elders) readers will appreciate this timely cautionary tale as the fascinating Simmons world extrapolates from deployment of the Patriot Act (affirmed by the Defense spending bill) and other First Amendment “exceptions” enabling legal censorship and much worse.

Harriet Klausner

All That Bleeds
Kimberly Frost
Berkley, Jan 3 2012, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425245804

The demonic slaughter occurs at the Arts & Innovation Benefit held at the House of North. Body guard Mr. Clark takes his charge, Alissa the last heiress muse to a safe location, but she insists they return to rescue the human hostages. He refuses saying unless the Etherlin Council president Dimitri Xanakis orders him to do so she will remain safe. Mr. Clark reminds her that the damned cannot resist the smell of the blood of a muse like she is. Furthermore he blames the ventala hybrid vampires for failing to kill the demon in Varden. Merrick the ventala arrives and easily kills Corthus the demon, who had slaughtered many. Over Mr. Clark’s objection, Alissa thanks Merrick.

Five years later, Alissa and Merrick remain attracted to one another, but each knows that is taboo. However, everything changes when someone abducts the muse and removes her from the safety of the House. Merrick vows to use every tool in heaven, hell and earth to rescue the forbidden female he has loved since she bravely shook his hand after he killed Corthus.

The first Etherlin romantic fantasy is a terrific ultra dark (due to constant violence that lives up to the title as even demons bleed) thriller. The vivid story line is action-packed but it is the forbidden relationship between the muse and the ventala that is at the heart of Kimberley Frost’s turn from the lighthearted frolics of the Southern Witch saga to this dark tale.

Harriet Klausner