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Faith Hunter has outdone herself with Blood Cross, the second title in her fabulously dark and mysterious Jane Yellowrock series. This time out, the New Orleans vampire Council hires Jane to track down a vampire who has been creating young rogues and letting them loose on the city. But as always with Hunter, there's much more to the plot than tracking down one evil vampire. Jane must also outwit Leo Pellessier, vampire master of New Orleans who wants revenge because he believes she killed his son rather than the impostor who took his son's life decades ago. Jane has her best friend Molly, a powerful earth witch visiting with her children, and had her daughter, Angie, not come out to say hi, Leo and his accomplices might have burned Jane's house to the ground. But killing children is against vampire ethics, and Leo still has enough sense to know that.

Jane explores the vampire files at police headquarters and runs into Rick LaFleur, whom she hadn't seen since saving his life near the end of Skinwalker. He's still sexy, and Beast, Jane's ever-present soul companion, tells her to mate. But Jane -- and Beast -- are also fiercely attracted to Bruiser, Leo's blood servant and second in command. Jane attends a vampire party, meets some of the oldest vampires and partners with Derek Lee and his vampire-killing neighborhood vigilantes on the twisting trail of the rogue sire. She walks a treacherous path with danger behind every turn and learns more than she wants about vampire politics, loyalty and the Mithrans creation story in the bargain.

For anyone who gobbled down Skinwalker, Blood Cross will be a welcome treasure. While it might be better savored slowly, that will be nearly impossible once the first page is turned in this fast-paced tale filled with fear, pain, mystery and sensuality. As with the first book, Hunter deftly illustrates the relationship between Jane and Beast, whose soul bond remains symbiotic as each takes over when most needed.

Hunter's talent for description of scenes, people and environment shines through on every page, from streets filled with hurricane debris to a sexy party dress and the feel of Bruiser's tongue as it dances with hers, she pulls readers in, making them feel more as participants than voyeurs. Word is that book three won't release until the end of 2010, and personally, I think a year of waiting is somewhat akin to torture.

Katherine Petersen started reading as a young child and hasn't stopped. She still thinks she can read all the books she wants, but might, at some point, realize the impossibility of this mission. While she enjoys other genres, she thrives on fantasy, science fiction and mysteries.