The Good, the Bad, and the Undead

What a great read The Good, the Bad, and the Undead turned out to be. This is the second book in the Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison, and if I enjoyed the first one, I truly loved this second installment.

I won't reveal any details of the plot, of course, but I will say that it was more elaborate, more complex, and certainly more satisfying than Dead Witch Walking. There are several subplots that continue from the first book, and there are new and exciting story lines that don't get resolved in this book, pretty much forcing you to go and get Every Which Way but Dead, the third chapter of the saga. And still, the book can, for the most part, be read as a standalone, since the major plot has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

At the same time, Harrison digs deeper into her characters, their motivation, and their interaction. And more importantly, pretty much all the main characters evolve throughout the book so that they end up different than they were when the story started. The characters grow, and you are witness to this excruciating but fun process.

Surprisingly, the only thing I didn't care for were the two "love scenes" in the book, and I actually grew impatient and wanted them to be over as quickly as possible. Fortunately, they were short, so I wasn't in pain for too long.

To sum it up, Harrison presents us this alternate reality in which Cincinnati teems with Weres, witches, warlocks, and vamps, and she does is in such a realistic and detailed way that the reader can't help but being sucked into this fantastic world. Add great, multifaceted characters, a first person narrator (who makes me think of Kinsey Millhone plus magical powers), and a compelling, intriguing story, and the end result is a book that I recommend to everyone.