Just Finished Reading: Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

Someone or something is killing the Fae. When Mercy Thompson’s ex-boss is arrested as the prime suspect she decides to do some investigating of her own and discovers some very strange goings-on at the Fae Reservation. As the first of the supernatural beings who have ‘come out’, followed recently by werewolves, the Fae are the most vulnerable to attacks prompted by public ignorance and growing hostility. If Mercy is the save her ex-bosses life she needs to uncover a powerful killer and stay alive long enough to get that information to the police. Meanwhile, if her life wasn’t complicated enough, two alpha werewolves are vying for her affection and may just kill each other to prove it.

Although certainly entertaining and readable enough this was a pretty much by-the-numbers urban fantasy novel not dissimilar to the 20 or so I’ve read before. Sassy main character – check. Complicated love life – check. Special powers or abilities she’s still trying to understand – check. Powerful friends (and enemies) in low places – check. It was, despite all that, rather well written with decent dialogue and some nice set-pieces. Briggs had some interesting things to say about the Fae (basically the original idea behind fairies but nothing like as nice) which made it rise above the ordinary but gripping it wasn’t. Fun but disposable stuff.