This is the first novel in the Bloodhound Files by D. D. Barant.
Book Blurb:
Her job description is the 'tracking and apprehension of mentally-fractured killers.' What this really means in FBI profiler Jace Valchek's brave new world - one in which only one percent of the population is human - is that a woman's work is never done. And real is getting stranger every day.
Jace has been ripped from her reality by David Cassius, the vampire head of the NSA. He knows that she's the best there in the business, and David needs her help in solving a series of gruesome murders of vampires and werewolves. David's world - one that also includes lycanthropes and golems - is one with little knowledge of mental illness. An insane serial killer is a threat the NSA has no experience with. But Jace does. Stranded in a reality where Bela Lugosi is a bigger box office draw than Bruce Willis and every full moon is Mardi Gras, Jace must now hunt down a fellow human before he brings the entire planet to the brink of madness. Or she may never see her own world again.
Dying Bites is an enjoyable read. :)
I like the alternate world of Dying Bites - were's, vamps, golems and such as I've never seen them - the predominate species. I enjoyed the story - fast paced and with enough action to keep me interested. :)
I even like the character of Jace: a no-nonsense, independent FBI profiler. The problem I ran in to - and it's really not a problem, more like a stumbling block - the banter. Jace comes across as a man when she banters back and forth with others. I know that makes no sense whatsoever - but I wonder if D D Barant is a man. (I could not find any author info.)
I have found that in some cases when a male author writes a female lead - the female tends to have more male characteristics than female. It is like writing a male character and then slapping a female name on it - or not...Jace?
This is what I felt while reading Dying Bites. Again, I like Jace - but she has a guys sensibilites. Guy dialogue. I think the story would have been better had Jace been a guy.
That being said - I am interested enough to want to read the next installment - Dying Blows- available in March of 2010. :)
I give Dying Bites 3 out of 5 stars.
M
5 comments:
Hi Michelle,
Is this a romance? From your review, I couldn't sense whether it is a romance or just a suspense story. But a boyish heroine is sure different from the norm.
Tamsyn
Hm, get why she may be made like that, but yeah it could just as good have been a good. Especially if she feels more like it, and not just as a tomboy
Tamsyn,
It's not a romance - the spine says St. Martin's Press - Novel. I would think that it would fit in the sci/fi - fantasy section - with the alternate world scenario. But it is certainly a paranormal thriller/mystery. :) I don't really mean that the heroine is boyish - she's not. She is comfortable as a woman and does have a flirtation going on....I just meant that as far as the word play, the back and forth banter that she exchanges with others - struck me as 'guy chat'. :)
B,
No, she doesn't come across as a tomboy. She is a woman - I just didn't find the banter sincere.
M
Hi Michelle! Thanks for the honest review.
I've never ran into the problem where a heroine talked and acted more like a guy than a girl but I can easily see how that would be irritating.
:) VFG
Guy dialogue - totally know what you mean.
I always thought Ilona Andrews was really good at writing her male characters, until I realized Ilona Andrews was a husband/wife writing duo - lol.
Amazon keeps recommending 'Dying Bites' to me, so now I know it's a pretty good read I might just succumb to pressure and order a copy.
Great review.
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