By Patricia Briggs; narrated by Lorelei King

Place: Publisher & Year: New York: Penguin Audio, 2011

Genres: Fantasy, contemporary fantasy, paranormal, mystery, paranormal mystery, mythic fiction

Series: Mercy Thompson; 6

Format: Audiobook – MP3

ISBN: 9781101436547

Audience: Adult

Length: 8 hours, 54 minutes

Setting: Columbia River Gorge – OR & WA,  Tri-cities (Richland, Kennewick, & Pasco), WA

Time period: Contemporary

Plot summary: Mercy and Adam finally get to spend some alone time together for their honeymoon.  No vampires, no other werewolves – it’s just the two of them camping along the Columbia River.  However, Mercy’s connection to coyotes and Coyote, means that chaos will find her.  This time chaos takes the form of a monster that lives in the river.

 Appeal factors:

Pacing: This is a very fast paced story.

Characterization: The story is told in first person through Mercy.  The regular series characters are all included in very small roles.  The most important secondary characters in this story are Adam, Coyote, and Gordon Seeker.

Frame: The title sets the frame – the story is set along the Columbia River and Mercy is marked by the monster early in the story.

Story line: Mercy and Adam’s romantic getaway turns into an adrenaline filled period where Mercy discovers her heritage and in the process puts her life on the line for human kind.

Subject headings:

From Pima County Public Library:

Shapeshifting — Fiction.

Occult fiction.

Thompson, Mercedes (Fictitious character) — Fiction.

Audiobooks.

Similar works:

Jim Butcher – The Dresden Files series

Charlaine Harris – Sookie Stackhouse series

Kim Harrison – Rachel Morgan/ Hallows series

Karen Marie Moning – MacKayla Lane/ Fever series

Personal notes:  A friend of mine mentioned that she noticed that I had given this five stars on Goodreads (which is not something I do very often.  I think have consistently given other books in this series four stars).  This story stood out for me, though – what I enjoyed the most was Mercy learning about her heritage.  Mercy and I have a bit in common – not the shape shifting coyote thing.  Mercy and I were both adopted and never knew our biological fathers – until this book where Mercy meets and gets to spend time with her father (even though she  almost dies in the process).  And that is where my five stars comes from.  One of my favorite characters has been able to do what I’ve always dreamed of – learn more of her heritage by talking with her father.

Other: Diversity: – walkers (shape shifters), werewolves, fae, First People, Native Americans – Yakama, multiracial woman – part Native American, vampire, female auto mechanic, homosexuals

Patricia Briggs website