January 25, 2014

Book Review: The Grendel Affair

The Grendel Affair
A SPI Files Novel, Book 1
Lisa Shearin

Released: 31 Dec, 2013

ACE, mass market paperback, 292 p.
ISBN: 978-0-425-26691-5


We're Supernatural Protection & Investigations, known as SPI.  Things that go bump in the night, 
the monsters you thought didn't exist?  We battle them and keep you safe.  But some 
supernatural baddies are just too big to contain, even for us...

When I moved to New York to become a world-famous journalist, I never imagined that snagging a job at a seedy tabloid would change my career path from trashy reporter to undercover agent.  I'm Makenna Fraser, a seer for SPI.  I can see through any disguise, shield, or spell that a paranormal pest can come up with.  I track down creatures, and my partner, Ian Byrne, takes them out.

Our cases are generally pretty routine, but a sickle-wielding serial killer has been prowling the city's subway tunnerls.  And th murderer's not human.  The fiend in question, a descendant of Grendel - yes, that Grendel - shares his ancestor's hatred of parties, revelry, and drunkards.  And with New Year's Eve in Times Square only two days away, we need to bag him quickly.  Because if we don't find him - and the organization behind him - by midnight, our secret's out and everyone's time is up.


When the courier knocked on my door with my parcel I couldn't wait to rip it open.  And there, on top, was my very own copy of The Grendel Affair (TGA) and I just knew that this was the book to start with.  

Poor Dragonfly!


It's been raining on and off for the last 2 days, and when I got home today from shopping I found this poor fellow stuck to the concrete - the car tyres missed him by a couple of inches! - so  I rescued him and put him out on my balcony to dry off.  Must have worked as there was no sign of the dragonfly an hour later ;-D

January 19, 2014

Cosy Kick

New bookshelf.  Double sided - double the books ;-D
Hi there!  I've been on a Cosy Kick for the last week or so.  It all started when I bought a big cube bookshelf - so I could create a separate nook - and had to decant the books that were shelved all over the place in the new bookcase.  This led to me finding my long forgotten stash of cosy mystery books that had been pushed to the very back of the bottom shelf (with 2 more rows in front of it!) and not being able to resist reading a page or two... or 200 ;-D