The Mercy Thompson series is like crack. Or chocolate. I read (listened to) the first four books in about three days. I’ve paused now (because I was concerned about overdosing) but can’t wait to get back to them. Why do I like these so much? There are so many reasons…
Mercy Thompson, our heroine, is part Native American and inherited the ability to shape shift into a coyote. She’s a walker, and what that truly means is a mystery both to her and to the readers.
Because of her heritage, Mercy is NOT blonde and willowy. She’s strong, fit, and, with straight black hair and dark eyes, her features are more reminiscent of her father’s ancestry than her mother’s.
Mercy is full of humor (sarcasm being a favorite characteristic of mine). She’s realistic and self-depreciating, but confident in herself and her abilities. She neither wants nor needs an alpha male to protect and rescue her. Though he occasionally does, because she tends to find herself in sticky situations that need some backup.
Her profession is mechanic: an auto mechanic specializing in German cars. Between increasingly difficult encounters with other supernatural folk she wields tools and wrestles transmissions into place.
The romance takes a few books to develop, which totally fits the personalities involved. Mercy is not about to jump into bed with our alpha male, Adam, the leader of the local pack. It’s not her style, even though he makes her weak in the knees and is absolutely delicious. The relationship takes time to develop, and I respect that. It draws out the tension and adds interest to the subplot of their inevitable…whatever it will become. (sorry - almost gave you a spoiler!)
The secondary characters - Warren, Stefan, and Zee - are fascinating and have their own backstories, which I’m hoping to read about in future books.
Briggs does an amazing job of balancing the show and tell of these novels. Her descriptions are vivid, her action scenes believable, and her characters both amazing and flawed.
These are just a few of the many reasons I’ve developed a love of the Mercy Thompson series. I encourage fans of paranormal fiction to explore these and see if they get you addicted as well.
The Mercy Thompson series is written by Patricia Briggs. Here’s a brief synopsis of the four I’ve read so far:
- Moon Called: Meet Mercy Thompson: Shifter, auto mechanic, and general badass.
- Blood Bound: A vampire is out of control and Mercy is ordered by the local seethe to stop it. Since when, however, has the vampire leader needed help to control another vamp? Is this a trick…or a trap.
- Iron Kissed: The fey need a favor, but Mercy can’t reveal what she learns from sniffing around the murder scenes…even when Zee is framed for the murders.
- Bone Crossed: Magical graffiti has shown up on Mercy’s shop door. Is it an ominous warning or a curse? Who put it there? And can Mercy get rid of it before something more dangerous happens?
12-year-old Miranda “Randi” Rhodes has secretly protected her South Brooklyn neighborhood for over a year, solving cases too small for the police to investigate. Now her father, writer of the Glenn Street detective series, has decided to sell their home and move to the small town of Deer Creek. Randi had definite expectations for her new life: she’s going to die of boredom. Then the town’s 200-year-old time capsule is stolen on the eve of the Founder’s Day celebration, which would have brought tourists back to the struggling town. With the treat of foreclosure and bankruptcy on the horizon Deer Creek’s business owners are frantic - and they’re sure they know who the thief is. It’s up to Randi and her new friends to solve the case, bring the real culprit to justice, and save the town.
This middle grade mystery novel has interesting characters, mild twists, and (mostly) believable scenarios.Spencer has filled her story with diverse characters that break stereotype: a female sheriff who used to be a professional fighter; a deaf best friend who’s mom is covered in tattoos; a Japanese “nanny” who does Tai Chi and adds catfish to her traditional cuisine…even the Rottweiler avoids being a cliche. These characters are well-written and have depth, a difficult feat in such a short novel. The mystery is easy enough for tween reading but also entertaining and absorbing. Readers will look forward to the next Randi Rhodes: Ninja Detective novel.
Spencer, Octavia. The Case of the Time Capsule Bandit (Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective #1). New York: Simon & Shuster Books for Young Readers, 2013.
