I found this to be a quick, fun read. Fairstein introduces quite a bit of history about the NY Public Library (including the famous lions' names: Patience and Fortitude). I love maps, I love old books, and I love mysteries, so this seems like a good fit for me. I didn't completely guess the answer before the end (though I had some suspicions that were validated), and to some degree, I found the actual answer and ending to be somewhat of a let-down.

I try not to read series out of order, but I have not read any other Fairstein works prior to this one. While I'm sure there were several details that I missed because I haven't read anything else, I think they were more about the characters and their relationships than about the actual plot of the novel. I did not feel like I was missing too much by jumping into the middle of the series, and I definitely did not feel like I would have been bogged down by repeated information if I did know more about Alex.

While reading this novel, I kept thinking about the TV show "Bones." The investigation manner was very similar, and I found myself wondering about how much an assistant DA really would be involved in these kinds of investigations. I did appreciate that Alex had other cases going on (it made her job seem a little more real).

If you like quick mysteries without too much plot but enough to keep the pages turning, this will be fine. If you're looking for Sherlock Holmes or Miss Marple, I'd suggest walking right on by.

I definitely enjoyed this book more than I have the recent Laurell Hamilton tomes. I liked the toned down sex and found the writing to be better and more engaging. I'm a huge fan of the idea that there is more to the world than what we normally see, and found this to be a moderately engaging addition. I think that Charlaine Harris, C.E. Murphy, Laura Gilman, Robin McKinley (in Sunshine) and, most importantly, Charles de Lint, definitely pull it off better, but AGD was intriguing enough for me to keep reading.

I did find the Native American mysticism a little off-putting. Handeland does not seem to have done the research that someone like Tony Hillerman has, and by writing about shamanism like this from an unresearched, non-Native perspective is moderately troubling to me. The sections with Sawyer seemed to lump all Southwestern Native shaman practices into one lump to serve the stories purposes rather than to add significant information to the story.

I also wanted to see more world-building. Granted, moving into the realm of the supernatural can take more time than one novel, but I felt that the different types of species that Liz encountered were more for a plot device than creating a world with rules that do not follow our own understandings.

I enjoyed the book, found it intriguing enough to continue turning the pages, but I'm not exactly on pins and needles waiting for the next installment.