Rating: 
Summary: Fast-paced, entertaining adventure with likable characters
Review: Ukiah Oregon is young--but is by far the best tracker in the business. Part of the Bennet Detective agency, Ukiah is unequaled in following the missing and the lost.When Ukiah is asked to trace a possibly kidnapped woman, he stumbles upon a dangerous group of people. People who can see in the dark, smell blood on the wind, and hear through walls. People who seem to recognize Ukiah, and want to kill him. The plot starts and continues quickly in this entertaining novel. The main characters are all engaging, and as things get more ominous, there are elements of humor, romance and poignancy to break up the tension. The premise is solid, but the main attraction of the book are the characters and their interaction. While the book is complete in itself, one looks with anticipation towards future adventure of Ukiah and his friends. ...
Rating: 
Summary: Hope to see more from this new talent!
Review: Wen Spencer gives each character such life! You feel as though you have met each one as they are introduced. Even minor charaters, like the bike mechanic, live and breath instead of being simple cardboard cut outs or stereotypes. I spent two nights of almost no sleep, 1 1/2 hours or so, reading this one. The action is none stop, the plot twists unexpected, and the love between the characters perfectly understood. Bravo!
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Summary: A must for any SF, X-files or Dean Koontz fan!
Review: Wen's first book has believable characters with depth and complexity that make you want to know more about them. While a lot is revealed in this book, I think there is more and am anxious to read the next installment! Definitely a page-turner with mystery, suspense, sci-fi, conspiracy and plenty of plausible plot twists.
Rating:
Summary: Buy this Book!
Review: What a fantastic story this is. There is something for anyone - mystery, sci fi, a good dollop of romance. It reminds me a bit of Jim Butcher's series featuring wizard-private investigator Harry Dresden, although all it really shares is that Ukiah is also a PI with something 'extra'. Ukiah Oregon has run with the wolves - literally being raised by them until his teens - and only a few short years ago was discovered by a woman who was to become his mother. He now is dedicated to his family, to his partner Max and their PI partnership. He's a tracker, and a good one. More than that - there is no one who can match his tracking skills. After all, no one else can track identifying the DNA of the lost by touch alone, as Ukiah can. A serious case is referred to them. Ukiah and Max have to track a missing woman. Someone who it appears has gone completely mad, killing her friends / housemates and escaping into the woods. Ukiah identifies in her blood that she seems to have some kind of invasive virus. Using her blood he tracks her, finds her - and that's when the weirdness starts. I enjoyed all the characters peopling the book, from Ukiah's unusual family structure to the woman he picks to love. Here is a strong, masculine male that actually seems to enjoy showing people that he loves them. The plot is carefully paced as befuddlement turns into excitement builds on danger and culminates into mega risk, ultimately making me wonder what really is out there. The concept is unique and will grip you from the start. The opening concept of the book (a man raised by wolves) may not seem on the surface to be so different, but the treatment and development of the story definitely is. There are some interesting themes including what makes a family, and what it is to be human. I loved the gradual revelation of the meat of the story. Spencer resisted the opportunity to shock the reader with sudden revelations, and instead we learned with Ukiah. Unusually, most of the people Ukiah cares deeply about actually seem to deserve the depth of his feeling, being pretty great people in themselves which I liked it a lot - another resistance of 'pat' writing from Spencer as there are no betrayals from within. This is a great book, that left me with a couple of questions, a couple of 'huh's, and a great deal of satisfaction. I'm looking forward to go on reading of Ukiah in 'Tainted Trail'.
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Summary: Alien taste- tomorrow is stranger than you think
Review: What struck me first about Wen Spencer's _Alien Taste_ was a sense of familiarity. Set in Pittsburgh, protagonist Ukiah Oregon is a private investigator who lives in a world as close as tomorrow, as familiar as your home town. I've lived in Pittsburgh, and Spencer has captured the feel as well as the geography of the city. This familiarity makes the insidious journey into strangeness that much more believable. There are strange forces at work in this book, for good and bad. Ukiah is one of a number of complex, fascinating characters caught up in things they don't, at first, comprehend. He and his partner, his family, and a well-realized love interest are struggling to put together a puzzle with ever increasing stakes. This book is adventure, character development, mystery and near-future science fiction in one. The pacing is fast and even, the characters real, the prose beautiful but never intrusive. The climax is shocking, and the ending...well, let's say it lives up to the rest of the book. If you liked the movie Aliens, like mysteries, or enjoy science fiction, you should love this book.
Rating:
Summary: An Alien to Love!
Review: When I picked this book up I will admit to having been hooked by the cover, and the back blurb on content....but when I began to read this wonderfully unusual book...I fell in love with the character Ukiah and his mentor Max. The plot keeps you glued to the pages...the supporting characters are fantastic...I would love to see this become a series....and look forward to more from Wen Spencer. I recommend this book to all who love a mix of science fiction, fantasy and suspense.
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