Book Review: Greywalker

Reviewed By: Cheryl - RAM

Greywalker     Amazon US TPB Amazon Canada TPB
Kat Richardson
Class/Genre:   Fantasy   Mystery   Private Investigator
Series: Greywalker # 1
ROC 2006

Disclaimer: Although I have never had the pleasure of meeting Kat, I have frequently encountered her online.

'Greywalker' is a PI story with a difference. Harper Blaine is a Seattle PI whose work usually involves investigating small problems which have little in the way of drama or violence. That changed when one of her targets - guilty of a small-time fraud - over-reacted to her investigation. She woke up in hospital, hurting and strangely disoriented. She now sees things in a strange kind of fog which she learns is the 'Grey', a dimension bordering on our own which is home to various supernatural entities. Harper has become a Greywalker - one of the few who can walk in both the daylight and the Grey. Her adjustment is not easy; not only has she to try to learn to function in a place she had never heard of before, she begins getting jobs involving various denizens of the Grey even before she's had a chance to learn the basic rules of survival there.

'Greywalker' stands out among the many books now on the market with a supernatural theme. The originality of the idea of the Grey and the vivid descriptions of its alien quality set this novel apart from its competitors. Harper's reactions to her situation are interesting reading. We don't learn much about her background - what made her into the kind of person she is - and she does seem to have had a fairly isolated life before the monsters suddenly start finding her fascinating. Perhaps such aspects of her life will be fleshed out in future books, but even lacking a deeper background, it's clear that she's tough, resilient and self-reliant.

Overall, this is a very promising debut novel, set in an intriguing world. I look forward to the next in the series with interest and anticipation.

Cheryl - RAM

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