The first in this series that I have read and I will probably read more, but I like Kitty and Mercy and their problems a bit better than Rachel.

Another solid installment in the series. Perfect reading for the beach or a lazy Sunday afternoon. ( )

This is the second book in the series about Rachel Morgan, ex-IS runner, white witch and now paranormal investigator. The first book was a solid enough read, introducing the reason behind humans and Inderlanders and the characters which inhabit the Hollows, while being nothing spectacular. This book ramps up the action, suspense, excitement, eroticism, terror - it is a whirlwind of a story that doesn't let you breathe until the last page has been turned.

Here Rachel is experiencing trouble meeting her rent payments and suffering from a lack of cases that would provide her income. So she ends up taking on a case through the FIB through necessity - someone is killing leyline witches in a gruesome manner and the FIB want to know who. Rachel finds it easy enough to accept the case, since it seems as though she'll also be able to return to her investigation of Trent Kalamack, a mysterious figure who managed to evade being taken in by the FIB in the first book of the series.

In the course of her investigation Rachel manages to gain a familiar, find out Kalamack's heritage, come to the attention of the master vampire Piscary, take Nick to meet her mother and meet again the demon she dubs Big Al. There are a number of twists in this book that kept me guessing, and I was glad to see the characters gain more and more dimensions.

I particularly love the little details that help to flesh out the world of the Hollows - everything from the fact that Jenks the pixy wears red if he is travelling across the territories of other pixies and fairies to show his harmless intentions; to the fact that humans have an innate distrust of tomatoes since they carried the Angel virus that caused a quarter of humanity to die out. Harrison has also created a menacing otherworld in the form of the ever-after, which lends power to leylines and happens to be where demons roam - I enjoy the way she turns fairytales on their head by showing that rather than finish 'and they lived happily every after', they actually finish 'and they lived in the ever-after'.

As well as the excitement, the violence is ramped up in this book - and some of it is not for queasy stomachs. The descriptions of the witch deaths and Ivy's nasty experience left me with raised eyebrows.

All in all, Harrison has produced a book that is heavy on the entertainment and light on any of the issues I had with the first book. The characters are intriguing, especially Al the demon and Trent, about whom we learn a great deal more in this book. In fact, a lot of the niggling little mysteries from the first novel are cleared up here in an outstanding fashion. I simply cannot wait to move onto the third in the series! ( )

Nothing special, but pleasant light reading. A good book to wind down with, and perhaps a little above average in its category due to the plot twists (which kept me guessing) and characters that I started to care about. ( )

This is seriously good – a first-class entertaining romp through the world of Rachel Morgan’s paranormal existence. The Good, the Bad and the Undead, as a second book, holds a pleasing continuity with the first; happily for me, answering many of the queries posed previously whilst also addressing those issues I had found problematic. And retaining a very necessary comic turn…

Despite no longer under a death threat Rachel still has problems earning her rent money; her agency Vampiric Charms failing to supply a significant income, especially when her clients refuse to pay for services rendered – if inadvertently superfluous! Hence Rachel is unwilling and unable to refuse the terms and conditions demanded when asked by the Federal Inderland Bureau to help in solving a recent series of horrific deaths of ley-line witches; murders which are still occurring with unsettling frequency. The subsequent investigation entwines all her associates, the FIB, the enigmatic Trent Kalamack, plus her boyfriend Nick, in a series of action-packed, fast-paced incidents that ultimately disclose many of the unknowns in the entire story-line; the design behind Ivy and Rachel’s relationship, the actuality of Trent Kalamack, and just who summoned that demon intent on killing them both! Oh, and so much more about ley-line magic and Rachel’s father than ever expected!

There is a texture to this premise, which the author has contrived, that I find difficult to define; suffice to say it accommodates intelligence and an ease to the story-telling complemented by an abundance of well-drawn personalities, all which satisfy on many levels. The mystery, the cunningly-conceived magical elements, the attitude, the wit, and the plot itself, all meld to provide an intricate, entertaining and gratifying mix, balanced skilfully between authenticity and fantasy; with no qualms at revealing the blacker aspects of the main characters. We get to meet Rachel’s mum, as does Nick – such fun taking the boyfriend home to meet the folks. And become privy to, possibly, way too much about her childhood... food for future thought that is. And left, still, with much unresolved, even if the finale is most agreeable!

All in all quite clever, I found this a rollicking good read! The originality, and the reality, of life in The Hollows is an impressive and fascinating conception, with just enough humour to offset the intrinsic darkness of this world. And if the whole series, with their inventively-titled books, are meant as some small homage to Clint Eastwood and his movies; to Ms Harrison and her classy creativity I say: “go ahead, make my day!”

(April 11th, 2009) ( )