Bitten to Death | |||||
Jennifer Rardin | |||||
Orbit, 320 pages | |||||
A review by Michael M Jones
What can I say about this series that I haven't already? Bitten to Death is the fourth in the continuing
adventures of Jaz Parks and her merry band of troubleshooting misfits, and as usual, they're in fine form. This
time, the action is primarily set in Greece, adding yet another exotic port of call to their itinerary, and for
much of the book, things are focused pretty tightly upon Jaz, Vayl and David.
Later on, we see another one of Jaz's friends, and would-be suitor, Cole, but two other main characters, the
inventor Bergman and the oracle Cassandra, are sent to the sidelines for the duration, allowing us to concentrate
on Jaz and Vayl and the people introduced for this storyline, such as the werebear, Kozma. There's plenty
of action and intrigue in this book, as our heroes investigate the secrets of the Trust and its
unpredictable, occasionally treacherous members, and one heck of a payoff when Jaz finally comes face to face
with Edward Ramos, who has escaped her numerous times before. The ever-changing relationship between Jaz and
Vayl goes through a few major bumps as well, thanks to the interference of his ex-girlfriend, a nasty piece
of work named Disa who has major plans for Vayl for the next few decades.
If you're in the mood for fast-paced supernatural adventure, the Jaz Parks series never fails to
deliver. Imagine if Buffy grew up to work for the CIA, and you've got a halfway decent idea of the niche
these books occupy. Snappy dialogue, deadly intrigue, crisp action sequences, an enjoyable cast of quirky
characters, and locations not usually visited in urban fantasy all help to separate these books from the
rest of the genre. Bitten to Death is another excellent installment in Jaz Park's adventures, and
it definitely progresses the overall storyline quite satisfactorily. Well worth checking out.
Michael M Jones enjoys an addiction to books, for which he's glad there is no cure. He lives with his very patient wife (who doesn't complain about books taking over the house... much), eight cats, and a large plaster penguin that once tasted blood and enjoyed it. A prophecy states that when Michael finishes reading everything on his list, he'll finally die. He aims to be immortal. |
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