Review: High octane comedy/horror/urban fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 20, 2013
"It all started when the body dump went south..."Set in the same universe asFoundation for the LostandThe Redemption of Mata Hari (Ryoku, the Game of Power)but featuring different characters, this high-octane comedy-horror/urban fantasy is nonstop fun and action.  I really loved meeting Vince and Nick and their assorted friends and enemies.  Michael is a bone-chilling villain!  The Secret Branch is an interesting idea, and one I hope we'll see a number of different stories about from Rhine.  Recommended!Disclosure: I edited this book, but receive no remuneration based upon sales.  All opinions are my own.Synopsis: Nick Solace is a part-time Washington lobbyist who trades favors in gray areas of the law. As his other job, he cleans and flosses supernatural crime scenes for the Secret Branch of the Smithsonian. Their motto is: there's no such thing as monsters. Nick's corrupt and complacent world is turned upside down when a body dump goes horribly awry. Having the evidence reanimate forces him to call in a debt from Vincent--a musician, janitor, and disgraced missionary.Robert Cambridge actually vandalized the incredible DaVinci sketch depicted in this story, but my description of the events and people involved is completely fictionalized. This tale unfolded as an answer to the question: what would possess someone to commit an act like that? As I emphasized the word possess, this became a paranormal adventure.