Spirit Dances

....intrepid investigator dancing through the shadows of her world

The exploits of urban shaman Joanne Walker, Seattle police detective extraordinaire, continue. Once more Walker’s best planned intentions go astray creating havoc during a new murder investigation. Sure she intuitively connects many of the dots of the case, if she could only solve her own relationship challenges and inner turmoil this would be an added bonus.

As Joanne herself explains,
‘I was bad at relationships. I was bad at reading between lines, at figuring out what people really meant if they didn’t actually say it, and at being charming or flirty or whatever I was, exactly that women were supposed to do to attract men. My skill sets lay along the lines of show more taking apart car engines, drinking grown men under the table—and more recently—solving esoteric murders.'

The death of a Native American dancer under bizarre circumstances and the disappearance of some of the homeless of Seattle are seemingly unrelated. Yet even the most distant of relationships sometimes merge and dance to a different rhythm.

A foot-in-mouth heroine who goes from incredibly wise, to a gangly teenage in under 30 seconds, Walker treads her world as a warrior-shaman, dealing with cases that would make the rest of us shudder.
Here is a character we can laugh with and wince with. A heroine we readers can enjoy standing alongside—quirky, irreverent, yet sparklingly sincere and loveable. The self-deprecating humor and irony Murphy laces the direst of situations with is wonderful.

The supporting characters of Billy and Melinda continue to grow and add strength to the story. Joanna’s relationship with her boss Morrison continues to fascinate and frustrate both her and us.
Another fast paced, well crafted read from Murphy.

A NetGalley ARC show less

Ah, Joanne. The lovely thing about these books is that Jo manages to find entirely new ways to screw up, and it creates a delightful ride for the reader. There are many reasons why I consider this to be my favorite urban fantasy series, but a lot of it comes down to Jo. She's nice and approachable. Sure, she has a hard edge and can kick hiney in a fight if needed, but she's also a healer at heart. I can't help but love a Seattle cop-turned-shaman with a fondness for maple-covered donuts.

Another big bonus for this book: Morrison. He's her boss and the tension has sizzled between them since book one. This time around, the sizzles catch fire. Morrison makes a great forbidden love interest. Not only is he her boss, but he's also a show more forty-year-old guy who is handsome even as he shows his age. He's become surprisingly tolerant of Jo's mystical side, and this book really explores that aspect and slaps things back and forth and upside down.

Love these books. Every single one is strong. I can't wait for the next. show less

I have to admit, I have read the Walker Papers multiple times, and every time I do (which is every time a new one comes out, and then whenever I feel a need for an upper) I get more out of them, and enjoy them even more than the last time.

It is wholly admirable how Ms. Murphy has developed her characters through the series in a slow, methodical manner which allows you to grow to love them both individually, and as a group. I do have to disagree with the people who are wanting the "sexy Morrison" scenario to come to a head. Come on, people! Jo/Siobhan has a LOT on her plate! She has grown from an obnoxious, self-centred, arrogant mechanic into a nearly-fully-realized shaman in a period of months. Maybe kicking and screaming all the way, show more but she HAS grown. There is a little too much on her plate right now to gain the "reward" of a relationship right now. Who has time? Especially with everything that is coming up in her life. She was put here for a purpose, remember, and I would be devastated if she turned into just another stupid romantic fiction character, as so many kick-ass women in urban fantasy seem to turn out as. Sure, give her a love life, I am all for it, but keep her strong, working to save the world, not just a relationship.

Ms. Murphy is doing an incredible job of making Joanne someone I can truly both like and admire! I have already read Raven, and can hardly wait for Mountain - - - and of course, I will go back and read all of them again before I start each one . LOL. THANK YOU Ms. Murphy, for incredible characters, marvelous world building (just WAIT till you read Raven Calls!!!) and a tight storyline which shows just how much Jo is making a difference in the world - sometimes, despite herself. show less

I have to admit, I have read the Walker Papers multiple times, and every time I do (which is every time a new one comes out, and then whenever I feel a need for an upper) I get more out of them, and enjoy them even more than the last time.

It is wholly admirable how Ms. Murphy has developed her characters through the series in a slow, methodical manner which allows you to grow to love them both individually, and as a group. I do have to disagree with the people who are wanting the "sexy Morrison" scenario to come to a head. Come on, people! Jo/Siobhan has a LOT on her plate! She has grown from an obnoxious, self-centred, arrogant mechanic into a nearly-fully-realized shaman in a period of months. Maybe kicking and screaming all the way, show more but she HAS grown. There is a little too much on her plate right now to gain the "reward" of a relationship right now. Who has time? Especially with everything that is coming up in her life. She was put here for a purpose, remember, and I would be devastated if she turned into just another stupid romantic fiction character, as so many kick-ass women in urban fantasy seem to turn out as. Sure, give her a love life, I am all for it, but keep her strong, working to save the world, not just a relationship.

Ms. Murphy is doing an incredible job of making Joanne someone I can truly both like and admire! I have already read Raven, and can hardly wait for Mountain - - - and of course, I will go back and read all of them again before I start each one . LOL. THANK YOU Ms. Murphy, for incredible characters, marvelous world building (just WAIT till you read Raven Calls!!!) and a tight storyline which shows just how much Jo is making a difference in the world - sometimes, despite herself. show less

Well, that was...different. In a few ways.

Knowing now that this is a nine-book series and that the last three books are going to be one big roller-coaster, it makes sense that a lot of long-term things get addressed in this book. There are still some tantalizing hints about things yet to be revealed (no, I'm not talking about nudity, although there's a comically large amount of that in this volume), but this is really the book where Joanne graduates from "talented fumbler" to "powerful shaman."

Thus, it's only fitting that the events in this book also center around the theme of transformation. The dance concert kicks off what seems to be an epidemic of shapeshifting, with alternately potent and hilarious results. When the smoke clears, show more Joanne's life has been changed in some key ways, and I'm about to follow along in book seven. show less

Spirit Dances by C. E. Murphy

This book takes up where “Demon Hunts” sort of leaves off. We find Joanne being approached by Rita Wagner, the woman she saved in the last book, who accidentally starts the ball rolling on toward a rollicking ride of a book.
Joanne FINALLY gets to go out on a “sort of” date with her boss ‘Morrison’. But little did they know they would not only be enjoying a dance troupe, but they would also be dealing with a shape changing Joanne, murder, general mayhem, real (sort of) were wolves, Morrison being understanding and very sexy and Joanne finally figuring out just what and who in her life is important.
I am thrilled with this book. I adored the very surprising ending. I have been following this series show more since it started and Joanne finally shows so much character growth and maturity that it breaks my heart to see what she is going to have to leave behind. I expect that not only will she be finding out about her furry issues, but more about her Shamanistic growth show less

Joanne Walker, shaman and police detective, begins this story forced to shoot a suspect to save her partner which throws her magic in chaos as healers aren't supposed to cause damage. While suspended for the investigation, she connects with a formerly homeless woman whose life she saved and is given tickets to a theatrical performance of Native American dances. The dancers are channeling all kinds of energy and someone is out to steal it killing the central dancer in the attempt. Joanne, along with Billy and her Captain Morrison, need to solve the mystery. Sixth in an urban fantasy series.