Book Review: Wilding Nights

Reviewed By: Luke Croll - RAM

Wilding Nights     Amazon US TPB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada TPB Amazon Canada HC
Lee Killough
Class/Genre:   Fantasy
Meisha Merlin; June 2002; $16.00
Classification: Adult fiction (werewolf thriller)

Lieutenant Allison Goodnight is a cop with a difference - she is capable of changing into a wolf. She is newly partnered with Zane Kerr and the two are thrown into a savage murder investigation. Goodnight quickly comes to realise that someone very like her is responsible for the crimes. Can they be tracked down without awakening Kerr's suspicions and endangering all of her kind?

Werewolf cop novels clearly require the suspension of disbelief but if you are capable of doing so, 'Wilding Nights' is an enjoyable read. Killough mixes fantasy with police procedures and the two tie together well, creating a fast-paced novel that occasionally reminded of Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches series, in terms of mythology.

Killough's dialogue feels authentic and he brings the town alive, creating a sense of a busy city in which the mysterious killer can easily fade into the background. All of the characters are developed throughout the novel, even those that do not really become involved in the action. The secrecy over the identity of the killer is maintained throughout and I only realised what was going on a short time before the cops themselves, which culminated in an impressive denouement with all the loose ends tied up.

Overall, this novel is fast and exciting, meaning it will appeal to any thriller fan. If you like werewolves, your enjoyment is going to be doubled as the werewolf as a concept is as much a character as the werewolf cops involved. 'Wilding Nights' is the first Killough I have read, but I certainly intend to go on and read more.

Luke Croll - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Luke Croll - Conference interpreter and translator
http://lukecroll.translatorscafe.com