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I started this book expecting a little mind candy with some hot werewolf sex thrown in. Nope. It is much, much more. First, let me say that this book is part of a series that includes Chasing Midnight and several others. I'll be getting all of them.
Our story begins in New York City, 1927, with de-badged detective Ross Kavanagh. We quickly find out that he was framed for murder, had his heart broken, and fathered a child he never knew about who is shortly going to land on his doorstep. Oh, and the story has something to do with werewolves. That's just the first few pages.
About the werewolf thing. One of the reasons I was so impressed with Ms. Krinard's writing is the werewolf thing could be left out and the book would still be entirely engaging. It doesn't rest on the supernatural stuff – some of the characters just happen to be werewolves, just like some people happen to play piano. It's very well integrated into their lives, the society, and the writing, sometimes driving the action like a concert might figure strongly in a story about a pianist.
Kavanagh's ex, and mother to his ten-year-old son, is Mrs. Delvaux, a very rich English aristocrat whom Kavanagh met and fell in love with during the First World War. We find out that she can never live up to her father's expectations, has the requisite dissolute brother, loves her son to distraction, has very powerful friends and, as you might suspect, enemies.
Although this is technically a romance, and certainly delivers in that area, I'd put it more in a mystery category. There's the original murder that Kavanagh is framed for, several gun & knife threats, and a few more dead bodies from a serial killer. You also have the mystery of why Mrs. Delvaux didn't marry Kavanagh when she had the chance, why her dad is such an ass, why does the mob show up and want her son, will her brother ever grow a set, and a whole world wide werewolf community conclave that may or may not end in lots of bloodshed.
It kept me on the edge of my seat, and kept me reading well past my bedtime. Krinard captures the feel of both NY and rural England wonderfully. Her characterizations are engaging and believable. The plot has lots of twists & turns that surprised even me (which is not easy.) The sexy scenes were few (the story didn't need many), but they were intimate and powerful. I definitely want to know more about the main characters and the several who made cameos throughout the story (including a vampire/werewolf couple who were thrown out of their respective societies for having an inter-species marriage).
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