Review: Another exceptional entry into the Riga story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 20, 2013
After reading the first two books in the Riga Hayworth Paranormal Mysteries series I was really excited to read the third, The Shamanic Detective. Well, excited, but disappointed too. I have really loved this series, and apparently, it's over!Riga has two mysteries to solve in this edition, which comes immediately after the end of the Alchemical Detective. First, just at a truly special point at the end of Alchemical, Donovan is drug away by the FBI for a crime we all know he didn't commit. What is Riga, unlicensed in the state of Nevada, to do now that her lover-boy has been taken away? How can she help clear his name?Secondly, Ankou, a Fae whose job it is to collect the souls of the dead, had decided that his servant on Earth is in trouble and he requires Riga to protect her. Of course, who else could it be but her old buddy, the Fae Shaman Sal, who has come to Nevada from San Francisco to have a very dangerous family reunion? Riga is torn in two as she tries to meet the expectations of the Fae Ankou in order to save lives and her deep need to help Donovan to overcome the charges against him. Weiss does an exceptional job of handling the guilt and remorse of Riga having to split her attention when all she wants to do is help Donovan. We meet a couple of new characters, learn more about Donovan's family and the relationship between Riga and Sal that has been a teaser through the first two books.Weiss does her normal, wonderful job of blending layers of myth, shamanism and modern life into a story which keeps you interested, keeps you guessing and is a great way to spend a few hours of cherished reading time. As always, she does a great job of research of myths and legends and puts them to good use. We get a bit more of the romance in this third edition, as Riga and Donovan move forward in their relationship, handled with a deft and sophisticated hand.Throughout this story Riga is called to face her fears, both as they relate to her life and her magic and as it relates to the Fae. For some reason, Riga is terrified/horrified by the Fae, but we still don't get any information on WHY she is so upset by them. Does this mean we just will never know, or is Weiss planning more Riga books? I wrote to ask her - I am just terribly interested in Riga and her past as Weiss sees it!There are a few important matters that are tied up in this book, one of which is deeply important to Donovan and helped him find closure of a deeply personal kind. There is a tense moment towards the end where one of the minor characters I had really come to like nearly destroys his own life through the machinations of another and the "bad guy" at the end is not who I thought it was through most of the book.All in all, another beautifully written installment in the Riga series. The last one? Well, I would absolutely buy another if Weiss wrote one!Oh, and I would REALLY like to add an Ovcharka to my family! Cuddling up to a 150 lb. bear-like dog on a cold winter's night would be a true treat!