Friday, February 6, 2009

Review: Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand


Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand
by Carrie Vaughn

Format: Paperback, 301 pages
Publisher: Ballatine Books
Cover Design: Craig White
Release Date: January 13, 2009
ISBN-10: 0-345501110
ISBN-13: 978-0345501110

The fifth book in the Kitty series by Carrie Vaughn finds Kitty and her fiancé, Ben, planning to run off to Vegas to get married. However, as is often the case with Kitty, things easily become much more complicated. First, her parents insist on coming along. Then Kitty’s station manager convinces her to host a one-time television episode of her radio show. Not only that, but the vampire master of Denver asks her as a personal favor to deliver a letter of introduction to his counterpart in Las Vegas. So much for eloping on the spur of the moment.

The trip to Vegas gets off to a bad start when Kitty realizes her hotel is hosting a gun show. That wouldn’t be too much of a problem, despite the fact she hates guns, except it seems the show has attracted several werewolf-hating bounty hunters. Bounty hunters who her fiancé and know of her supernatural alter ego. As Kitty does research for the television show, she comes across several interesting characters including a magician who’s magic may be real and a live animal show starring a pack of lycanthropes. Fairly soon however events take a turn for the worst with the leader of the lycanthropes seeming determined to seduce Kitty for ulterior motives, a couple bounty hunters being equally determined to have her put down like an animal, and to top it off her fiancé goes missing. Viva Las Vegas.

The major thing I noticed with this book is that it seemed a little “lighter” than the last one, Kitty and the Silver Bullet. The fourth book had several major plot and character developments culminating in Kitty and Ben becoming the alpha pair of Denver’s wolf pack as well as the ascendance of a new vampire master. In Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand, the drama is much more personal. It feels a lighter because the dramatic action focuses on just a couple of people rather than a much larger contingent. The book is still a solid read and I’m definitely looking forward to the release of Kitty Raises Hell at the end of the month.

Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand is another good, solid book in Carrie Vaughn's Kitty series. Recommended for all fans of urban fantasy.

Rating: 7.5/10.
 

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