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the daily review, fri., aug. 13

Kelley ArmstrongThe Globe and Mail

Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, now topping 11 books, is an urban fantasy series for a mature audience. The protagonists are women who kick ass, women who also happen to possess various supernatural powers. They might be witches, necromancers, half-demons or, in one case, a werewolf, but they are always strong, idealistic and stubborn. They might ride motorcycles or fix cars. They lead private investigations and defeat murderers or serial rapists. Some of them can hold their own in a street fight.

In short, Armstrong's women would crush Stephenie Meyer's fair Bella and then pick their teeth with the bone shards.

These New York Times and Globe and Mail bestsellers give us graphic sex and murder scenes, plenty of dirty talk, dishonest politics, betrayal and revenge. The author has been applauded for blending crime fiction, romance novels, fantasy and horror genres to create a style that is distinctly her own. She delivers once again with Waking the Witch, her latest in this strange, original series.





This time our protagonist is Savannah Levine, the orphan daughter of a dark witch and a ruthless sorcerer - parts of the back story are featured in earlier books. In her early 20s, Savannah now works as a private investigator for her paranormal foster parents, characters we've met before. Her half brothers are trust-fund kids who will rule a powerful cabal, and one character snarls that Savannah's connections make her the "golden girl of the supernatural world."

But, like many of Armstrong's women, Savannah chooses a more reclusive life at the fringes. Justice is often best served outside the law and if that means dabbling in dark spells every now and then, so be it.

In this book, rookie investigator Savannah gets her first crack at a solo case, the unsolved murders of three women. The prime suspect is the richest guy in an otherwise destitute town. Cody Radu is an ill-tempered real estate agent and, apparently, a kind of pimp. He's built a picture-perfect family, but he also leads a nasty double life supplying young girls with drugs in return for certain favours.

Just as the investigation begins, more people wind up dead, and Savannah learns that there could be supernatural ties to the murders. She must use her brains, her brawn and her spells to crack the case and save her own skin. The rest is spoiler territory.

At its best, Armstrong's prose has a punchy, easy flow as we explore the mystery with our narrator. Savannah breezes into town on her motorcycle. As the leggy bombshell takes on the local men with an entertaining mixture of patience and derision, Armstrong employs another staple of her fantasy: super-powered women who cut straight through the crap in a man's world. The bumbling small-town cop hasn't solved the crimes but hates the idea of being upstaged by a woman. The local psychologist runs a suspicious commune for troubled girls, and he won't suffer Savannah's questions. A third opponent, a hunky detective, sees Savannah as a threat until sparks begin to fly...

A note on the carnal amour in Armstrong's books: It can be sweet, tender, even mushy, but mostly it isn't. Fans may recall the passage from Armstrong's last novel, Frostbitten, where werewolf narrator Elena wrecks a seedy hotel room with her husband, howling through a series of dominance poses. There isn't nearly as much sex in this latest book; only one instance, and a gloriously sleazy one at that, where two villains meet for a quickie. But sex and sexual tension cement Armstrong's characterization and fantasy play. Her books explore dominance and subversion and can become very dark, as in Frostbitten, when the protagonist Elena faces down a rapist and carries out the ultimate revenge fantasy, whispering into his ear while she snaps his neck.

One weakness in Waking the Witch: The action stalls, snagged in overly complicated back stories. The plot relies on suspect interviews when it could have been better rooted in the tension that makes Armstrong's books sing: characters who struggle to balance the dark and the light. However, series fans will no doubt relish the chance to tear through yet another volume.

It seems the author is at her best when writing about the werewolf Elena, the character who, not surprisingly, launched the series. In those stories the narration is tighter, the action is sharper and the emotional stakes are higher.

But Elena is near 40 while Savannah is just coming to adulthood. Her young character is promising, and a cliffhanger ending suggests we haven't seen the last of her in Armstrong's books.

Kelly McManus is a Victoria-based journalist.

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