Greywalker. Kat Richardson

The first book of a relatively new series (this one was first published in 2006), this is another entry into the paranormal mystery genre.

The main character is Harper Blaine, a Seattle PI who mostly works basic cases – missing persons, cheating spouses, and so on. On a case, she is badly beaten to the point of being dead for two minutes before being revived by paramedics. As she recovers, she discovers that something has changed for her – she is now aware of things that most people can’t see or even sense.

The story follows her as she works on cases while trying to come to terms with what has happened, and what it means to her. A whole new world of paranormal beings and forces have not only been opened up to her, they’ve become aware of her, too.

I enjoyed the story, the various characters in Harper’s life, and the writing in general. Harper’s pain, and her struggles to come to terms with what has happened to her are believable and make her an empathetic character. The cases she works on are interesting. The people she works for and with are quite well developed. The paranormal aspects of this world are original and full of potential for future stories.

I was also relieved to find that the story remained focused on Harper’s detective work and life, and didn’t become another paranormal romance/erotica novel. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but they are not my cup of tea. I was once a fan of Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series until it became far more focused on Anita’s varied and somewhat unusual sex life and far less focused on her initial work as an animator who raises the dead (often to help police solve mysteries). I am hoping that this series stays truer to its initial premise.