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Paramortal psychologist and Marine Special Forces Operative Captain Gillian Key and her team are on a C-130 bound from London to Northern Russia, where it appears that a pedophile ring is kidnapping children left orphaned after an earthquake devastated the region. Her team consists of Major Daedelus Aristophenes, MD, Ph.D, commander, shapeshifter; Gillian, a paramortal psychologist, empath and kick-ass fighter; Lts. Kimber Whitecloud and Jenna Blake, human; Capt Luis Clemente, Vampire, pilot; and Lt Trocar Blackthorne, a grael elf; as well as civilian shapeshifter Pavel Miroslav, translator and guide. When they finally arrive at the camp where the children are held, the brownies come out of the forest to help. The tiny creatures look fragile, but when there are hundreds of them, they really do some damage to the bad guys. All the children are saved and a couple of the team stay behind in Northern Russia to help those who were kidnapped and the families who lost children regain some measure of sanity. Key expects to return to the castle of Count Aleksei Rachlav in Romania so they can pick up where they left off. But fate, and Scotland Yard have a different idea. While changing planes in London, Gill and her companions are picked up by a couple of detectives to help them. It turns out that Gill's mentor has taken his students on a field trip to the most haunted house in London and he needs Gill's help. When she finally extricates all of them from the house, she finds herself in hospital, wounded. A man with a scalpel and cinnamon colored eyes is her doctor, Jack the Ripper, himself, who is really a vampire. She, the detectives, and her companions flee to France, and she finally gets to Romania where she seems to spend most of her time in bed with Aleksei. The first part of the book was great fun but there was too much of the coupling of Key and Rachlav after they get to Romania. Perhaps a better balance of action and romance would make the series more interesting to me; however, there are those who will feel this mixture is perfect. I think Gryphon got most of the available paranormal creatures into this book which made it fun to read, despite the overly explicit sex scenes. (Yes, I read Laurell K Hamilton, but she seems to make those scenes less serious in implication. I guess because Anita Blake can never make up her mind.)
Reviewed by Barbara Franchi, April 2008
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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