Night Hunter

Rating:
Summary: one of my favorite books
Review: NIGHT HUNTER is one of the rare books that I read beginning to end in a short amount of time. I finished it in just two days, and it only took two days because I got distracted with something else. Anyway, I really enjoyed this book. Michael Reaves did an excellent job making Det. Jake Hull feel like a real character who was really burned out by his job. The story moved at a nice pace and was a constant page-turner. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. Several interesting characters, some suspenseful scenes, a very surprising (and cool) explanation for everything, and an exciting climax (which could have been just a bit longer) made for one of the more exciting books I've read in a recent years. I'd love to see a film version. A+

Rating:
Summary: Vampires in La-La Land, with a twist
Review: The Night Hunter is the second novel in a series of urban fantasies based on different magic traditions, but with a twist. Moreover, these stories are all hard-boiled mysteries. This novel invokes the tradition of life-stealing vampires.

Jake Hull is a detective in the LAPD who is assigned a case where the victim has been stabbed in the heart with a wooden stake. Immediately the newspapers start crying "vampire hunter". Jake co-opts a younger uniformed policeman to assist when the pressure comes down to catch the murderer before the media goes bonkers. When the "vampire hunter" strikes again, Jake also co-opts a female Medical Examiner to help.

This novel plays heavily on the Hollywood tradition of vampire movies, but ultimately strikes out on its own. Note the references to the Midnight Star and Ed Thayer from Street Magic.

Recommended for Reaves fans and anyone who enjoys a good horror story that acknowledges the Hollywood tradition without being confined by it.

Rating:
Summary: Vampires in La-La Land, with a twist
Review: The Night Hunter is the second novel in a series of urban fantasies based on different magic traditions, but with a twist. Moreover, these stories are all hard-boiled mysteries. This novel invokes the tradition of life-stealing vampires.

Jake Hull is a detective in the LAPD who is assigned a case where the victim has been stabbed in the heart with a wooden stake. Immediately the newspapers start crying "vampire hunter". Jake co-opts a younger uniformed policeman to assist when the pressure comes down to catch the murderer before the media goes bonkers. When the "vampire hunter" strikes again, Jake also co-opts a female Medical Examiner to help.

This novel plays heavily on the Hollywood tradition of vampire movies, but ultimately strikes out on its own. Note the references to the Midnight Star and Ed Thayer from Street Magic.

Recommended for Reaves fans and anyone who enjoys a good horror story that acknowledges the Hollywood tradition without being confined by it.

Rating:
Summary: Hunt for a better book
Review: This one really drags. The characters are all stereotypes moving through a milieu of Los Angeles street life that reads as if it were lifted straight from movies about Los Angeles street life. All of this could be forgiven if it moved quickly and was done with style. However, there was too much uninteresting characterization and hardly any action at all.

Rating:
Summary: Hunt for a better book
Review: This one really drags. The characters are all stereotypes moving through a milieu of Los Angeles street life that reads as if it were lifted straight from movies about Los Angeles street life. All of this could be forgiven if it moved quickly and was done with style. However, there was too much uninteresting characterization and hardly any action at all.