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A body is discovered in a dark alley in Vancouver's West Granville district. Since this body happens to belong to a dead vampire (the "only demons . . . who actually die twice"), Occult Special Investigators are called in on the case. This one is assigned to aura-sensingTess Corday, the novel's narrator, and her telepathic partner, Derrick Siegel. Both are mages: half-human, half-demon. Despite the fact that she is already 24, Tess remains an OSI-1. She's been repeatedly written up for "various procedural infractions" and is told in no uncertain terms by her chief, Marcus Tremblay, that if she messes up on this case, it may well be her last. So the reader knows from the start that for many reasons this is going to be a sticky case. Sure enough, trouble begins as soon as the trail leads to the home of one Cassandra Polanski (whose address was on a paper found in the dead vamp's clothes) and Tess meets Cassandra's orphaned niece, 13-year-old Mia. The girl uncannily resembles Tess’s childhood friend Eve, who perished in a fire and for whom Tess still suffers guilt that she was not able to save her. Mia also seems to feel some kind of connection with Tess and turns to her and Derrick to voice her vague fears about what she has learned. By not immediately notifying headquarters that she has the child in her custody at her apartment, Tess once again violates procedure. When Vailoid demons attack, there is no way to conceal the interview. For Tess, however, the child's mental well-being is as important as her physical safety; and Marcus and his rules can go hang. Her unit of CORE (Central Occult Regulation Enterprise) exists because Vancouver is "a hot spot" for mystical disturbances. Ignoring Vancouver Island across the strait, Tess says of her city that "the only thing beyond it to the west was ocean. Like Shangri-La. The end of everything. No wonder demons liked it here so much." In all aspects CORE replicates a big-city police department, with its own hierarchy, its own crime lab, its own morgue, and its own special weapons, such as Tess's athame, which focuses energy from the earth. Derrick says, "Demons create chaos. . . . We contain it." To this end CORE uses its own sources of information and monitors police lines for any hints of "paranormal activity. Kind of like how the USA's Patriot Act monitors alleged terrorism – only less evil." Despite all the occult trappings, the novel is basically a good-old-fashioned murder mystery complete with significant fibers, computer data to be analyzed, chemical testing, and fingerprints. Halfway through the case Tess sums up that it is "a veritable jigsaw puzzle that doesn’t make any sense. Vailoid demons, vampires, a teenage girl, blood, DNA – and the only person who I really thought might be a suspect was killed last night." For behind the menacing materializations of various supernatural beings hides a mystery killer to be identified. The dyed-in-the-wool mystery fan probably will be several steps ahead of Tess in figuring out who that person is, but that just adds to the fun. The surprise for me came with the explanation of the book's title. The novel also hints at the possibility of a romance. Tess is sent to interview "young, but dangerous" necromancer Lucian Agrado, He is the liaison between CORE and the vampire community. Missing out on a lot of key aspects of his personality, as she will discover, Tess initially says, "He was like the freaking Andy Warhol of the immortal-ugly community – everyone wanted to hang with him." Lucas' personal interests cause him to intervene in the escalating threats. His striking good looks, with a hint of a Latino background, and his intense magnetism have their effect on Tess. Fear of his power inextricably intertwines for her with an undeniable sexual attraction. What will be the outcome? Clearly, the book is designed to be the first in a series. If not altogether a polished beginning, certainly one that suffers by comparison to Tanya Huff's triad of supernatural mysteries also set in Vancouver, it still leaves the reader wanting to know what will happen next to Tess, Derrick, Lucian, and Mia. In particular, Derrick – "one of those gay men who had once been unattractive and out-of-shape, but had managed to earn a pretty decent physique for himself" - deserves greater development. The author has a quiet sense of humor that shows in unexpected ways. (A villain threatens Tess with death by vampire: "It’ll be just like an Anne Rice novel, I promise.") Packaged as a small, not overly thick paperback with fair-size print, the book is a perfect choice for a pool or airplane read.
Reviewed by Drewey Wayne Gunn, June 2008
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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