Review: Set in a new world
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 10, 2013
You won't find any werewolves or vampires in this world set in Australia.  What you do get are sirens, elves, ogres, trolls, dwarves, gargoyles, dark fae, gnomes, dragons, witches and I'm sure I'm forgetting some.  None are considered monsters although some groups are better liked than others.Harri--short for Harriet--is half siren and half elf.  She works as a PI with her friend Ceri, a former cop and while trying to build their business Harri also works as a photographer.Her dragon friend, Keale, slams into a helicopter killing the four onboard.  Harri is a witness and captures everything on camera.  He's drunk out of his mind and shouldn't have been capable of flying and too many things just don't add up.  She's determined to get to the bottom of this to prevent her friend from spending years in prison.  At the same time she's approached by Lyle, her elven uncle and the only member of that side of the family willing to have anything to do with her.  His siren girlfriend is missing and he hires Harri to find her.This story is an investigative mystery with a number of twists.  Non-sexual tension is provided with the presence of a former lover/cop who is back in town making things awkward for Harri.  What makes this a fun read are the very eclectic group of friends Harri has, from all walks of life; some of whom take serious advantage of her, and yet we see why she doesn't mind.  Her elven family is something else and much of the drama comes from that side of the family.Unlike her other books, the text has not been Americanized.  At the front of the book we're given a short list of some items or terms that are used differently.  There are others that could have been included on that list, but it's easy enough to figure those out.  The book is self-published, so there are definite editing errors, although some of those are probably cultural speech differences.Harri is smart, likeable, capable and loyal to her friends and family.  There's action, mystery and quite a bit of humor.  This could easily be a series and I sincerely hope it becomes one.  I found the story, especially the characters, to be quite enjoyable.