Velda Gets Knotty - a Velda, Girl Detective mystery novel

Velda Bellinghausen is a very unique character - or maybe not so unique, depending on your point of view.  She's a former follies' girl turned private detective - she's a snarky woman trying to make it in a man's world - she's a noir private eye with the sensibilities of a modern woman - she's a tall, lean, not overly endowed beauty who seems to fall into situations that leave her with little to no clothing - and she's got a great sense of humor!  Velda, Girl Detective is a parody of the noir murder mystery fiction that long ago captured the eyes of many a young male, with their covers showcasing scantily clad women - only in this instance, Velda is the detective, and she's the one solving the crimes (often sans clothing!).

Velda Gets Knotty (and yes, the pun IS intended) is the first prose novel I've read of this character.  I have all three of her graphic novels, which were a real hoot, since they were modeled after the comics of those days long gone, even going so far as to throw in faux ad pages, featuring non-existent items that made fun of all those ads we used to see in comics back then.  They had some really fun stories in them, but the stories were very short and fast paced (after all, telling three or four, or even five, stories in one graphic novel, one must keep it short, sweet, and to the point).  With this novel, author Ron Miller has the opportunity to really flesh out (yes, that pun is intended, too!) the character, the supporting cast, and lead the reader on a few red herrings before finally revealing the killer.

I give Miller credit for crafting a murder mystery that is not easily solved.  A woman turns up badly beaten in an alley, her clothes ripped off, the letter "I" carved into her body, and her hand grasping a string with three knots tied into it.  Despite being taken to the hospital, the woman dies a few days later.  Velda wonders if the person who beat her up came back to finish the job, when another body turns up - with the same letter carved into her body and holding another string with the knots in it (hence, the title to the book).  The only connection Velda can find is a Women's Club.  But could the case be over when the police find the women's purses in the flower box of Velda's downstairs neighbor?  If you said "no," then you'd be right!  In fact, the mystery is far from over.

Miller gives the readers some interesting suspects, any of whom could have committed the murders.  First, there is Harry Tweedy, Velda's downstairs neighbor.  Sure, he claims to be innocent. Sure, he hires Velda to prove he's not guilty.  But what if he is guilty, and his hiring of Velda is nothing more than a ploy to throw everyone off the track?  Second, there is Tryphena Thistlethwayte (yeah, you gotta love those names!), the elderly woman who was rejected membership in the Women's Club.  She may appear elderly and weak, but looks can always be deceiving.  Third, there is Delilah Spoonbill, who was one of the victims - yet, she survived by some miracle.  But was it really a miracle?  Or was it purposefully planned to keep everyone from suspecting her?  Fourth, there's Doctor Patella.  This Boris Karloff knock-off just so happens to fit the description an eyewitness gave to a man who was seen running out of the alley where the first victim was found.  And wasn't it odd that the first victim died not long after he visited her at the hospital (where he insisted he must see her alone)?  

All of the clues keep leading back to the Women's Club, and Velda is certain that the serial killer is somehow connected to the rejection of Thistlethwayte for membership - she just can't seem to find the final piece to complete the puzzle.  And just what does that letter "I" mean and how do the knotted strings fit into it?  These are some really great questions, and when Velda does put everything together, it makes for quite an exciting conclusion (one where Velda, needless to say, finds herself very scantily clad!).  Even though this is a parody of sorts, the mystery is actually very well plotted and wonderfully written.

After reading this one, I definitely want to track down and get the other books Miller has written - if they are anything like this, they will be a blast to read!

RATING:  9 cold cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer out of 10 for a faux look back at the noir crime fiction of yester-year as told today!

It Rhymes With Lust - a PS Artbooks Picture Novel

I truly do enjoy supporting the independent comic book companies, and quite frankly, they put out some of the best comic material on the market these days.  DC and Marvel have become so boring, rehashing the same stories and same material over and over by different writers and artists.  But the indy publishers put out a lot of fresh stories and unique characters - and in some cases, they re-release some vintage comics that truly deserve recognition.  This small graphic novel I stumbled across in Previews, and since I have come to appreciate a lot of the older works and pulp styles, I picked it up.

It Rhymes With Lust is written by Drake Waller with art by Matt Baker and Ray Osrin.  Baker is probably best known for his work on the golden age stories of Phantom Lady, but he also did work on Canteen Kate and other books back in the day.  (And the writer, "Drake Waller," was actually a pseudonym for Arnold Drake and Leslie Waller, who wrote the story together.)  It Rhymes With Lust was originally published by St. John Publications as one of its "picture novels," which was an early form of graphic novels, featuring comic stories published in a format that was more the size of an old Reader's Digest or TV Guide.  PS Artbooks republished this comic in its original format, and even reprinted the original front and back covers inside!

The story centers around Hal Weber, a newspaper man who arrives in Copper City just in time to witness the funeral procession of Buck Masson - and to catch a glimpse of his old flame, Rust Masson, the widow of the deceased man.  (And, as you can see, the title of the book comes from the sultry woman's first name - which, it should be pointed out, is also a play on words, since this vixen is a villain of the worst kind, whose actions could very well bring about the destruction of Copper City!)  It turns out, though, that Buck is not a very strong-willed man - before long, he's chasing after both Rust and her step-daughter, Audrey Masson.  He longs to help Audrey put an end to her step-mother's plans to completely take ontrol of Copper City, but he can't help himself every time he comes in contact with Rust, and he finds himself helping her with her plans to take out all of her competition!  Hence, it is his "lust" for these women that could prove his downfall.

The story is an interesting twist, as it is usually the male lead that is the hero of the story, with all confidence and strength to stop the crime and protect the innocents; yet, in this tale, Drake and Waller provide readers with a weak-willed man who allows his carnal desires dictate his actions.  It is the strong-willed and determined step-daughter who stands firm in the story and who is the catalyst that finally gets Hal to do the right thing for the city and its citizens.  For a story that is over 70 years old (it was originally published back in 1950), it still holds up well, particularly in today's world where people are clamoring for more strong female leads!

And Matt Baker's art - WOW! Literally, there's no other word I can think of that can truly describe the beauty and artistic talent on display in this picture novel.  Baker's art is tremendous - from the superb, life-like expressions of his characters to his "faded" backgrounds to keep focus on the action going on in the forefront of the panels, Baker provides a beautiful, cinematic feel to the story.  Every panel flows to easily into the next, and the reader can literally SEE the action as it happens - whether it's Rust slapping her daughter in the backseat of the limousine to the climactic scene at the mine. There is intensity in the emotions, in the action, in the story itself that keeps the reader hypnotically drawn into the tale, page after page, and leaving you (ME!) heaving a huge sigh of relief when you reach that final page.

 

Reading this picture novel makes me wish more of the pulp stories from back in the day had been published in this format, rather than just as prose novels!  

RATING:  9 copies of the Copper City Express out of 10 for re-presenting a unique and visually exquisite pulp tale for today's readers to enjoy!

The Third Lucius Fogg Novel - Educated Corpses

The third, and what appears to be final, book in the Lucius Fogg series takes its protagonist, Jimmy Doyle, on some unexpected twists and turns and provides a cinematic-worthy climax to the book (and the series) that, while it leaves it open for more stories in the future, still provides a satisfying conclusion to Doyle's story.

And I still find it interesting that the series is "A Lucius Fogg Novel," yet all three books have focused on former vet turned private investigator, Jimmy Doyle.  But, author Dan Wickline has his reasons, so who am I to question it?

The series has already dealt with vampires and werewolves, as well as mad sorcerers and other creatures of supernatural myth - so it should come as no surprise that Educated Corpses brings Doyle face to face with zombies.  At the same time, Wickline forces Doyle to confront his past when a former mentor reaches out to him for help, but dies gruesomely at the hands of a re-animated gorilla before Doyle can find out why he called him.

But, as with any good supernatural story, you can't keep a good man down - or dead, for that matter.  As Doyle begins to look into the last case that his former mentor, Elias Chandler, was working on when he died (hoping it will give him a clue as to why Elias called him), he gets a surprise visit at Fogg's brownstone by none other than Elias Chandler!  It's definitely a case of dead-man-walking, but not at all in the usual way.  Wickline creates a unique story of lost dogs, greed, mad scientists, army involvement, a beautiful seductress, reanimated corpses, and - oh, yeah, just for good measure, a subplot involving a growing rebellion in the vampire community of Old Town.

And did I mention that Doyle finds himself using more and more spells in this book, to not only protect himself, but others as well?

Wickline pulls out all the stops for this final tale of Jimmy Doyle and friends.  Doyle's investigation into the reanimated corpses takes him to a university professor with a gorgeous assistant and a larger-than-life bodyguard who packs quite a punch.  But he's been knocked unconscious and thrown out of places before, so he doesn't let it deter him from his ultimate goal - finding out who is bringing the dead back to life and why.  And that fact that the new police chief has forbidden Doyle and Fogg to be involved with any police investigations under threat of revoking Doyle's P.I. licence and evicting Fogg from his brownstone, it seems Doyle will have to work his way around the police to solve this one.

But with the help of his friends - Patches, Seabass, Elias, Conrad, and Fogg's alchemist friend Claire - Doyle is sure to solve the case.  But at what cost?  As Elias reminds him, the use of magic has its costs, and Doyle has to ask himself, is he ready to pay the price?  Not everyone makes it out of this book alive (even the living dead can ultimately die), and the final showdown of zombies versus a united front of vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, and humans is the perfect pulse-pounding conclusion to a fantastic trilogy.

Educated Corpses was published in 2016, and in the author's bio at the end of the book, there's a short tagline that says Lucius and Jimmy will be back - but there is no indication of when, and I find nothing anywhere online to indicate a fourth book is forthcoming.  Which, if one never materializes, is okay, as the conclusion of this story wraps up a lot of subplots and leaves all of the characters who survive in a really good place.

Thanks, Dan Wickline for some really great reads and for adding Lucius Fogg and Jimmy Doyle to the supernatural/mystery/sci-fi world of reading!

RATING:  9 reflecting quarters out of 10 for mashing the supernatural and noir detective novels in a fresh way!

Angel City, Volume One - Town Without Pity

This last book that I read for 2017 is something I almost didn't buy. This graphic novel was originally published as a six-issue monthly comic from Oni Press, and when it was first solicited, I considered purchasing it. Yet, when I looked at how many comics I was already buying each month, I decided to pass, figuring it was just another noir detective tale set in Hollywood, and there would be nothing special about it.  After the series ended, and Oni Press solicited the graphic novel collection of the series, I thought, "What the heck? I'll give it a shot." Having now read the story, I am more than glad that I did.

Angel City, "Town Without Pity," is not just the tale of Hollywood in the late 1930s - it's the story of how Hollywood takes the innocence of young girls hoping to make it big in Tinseltown and twists it into something dark and without remorse - without pity. This is hard-boiled noir with only a smidgen of soft edges, and it's unapologetic with it's realism, and it never promises a happy ending for everyone.

Angel City is the story of Dorothy Dunkel and Frances Faye Hallmeyer - two young blondes who head off to Hollywood to make all their dreams come true. As with so many young girls of that time, their dreams are quickly dashed, and they must face the cold, hard reality that is Hollywood. As Frances (going by Faye) sells her body to get ahead, Dorothy (who changes her name to Dolores Dare) sells her soul to the local mobster. They lose touch, and Dorothy believes she will never see her friend again.

Until the body of Faye Hallmayer turns up in a dumpster.

The past comes crashing into the present, and Dorothy realizes that she will never rest until her friend's murderer is caught. The police are in the pocket of Dorothy's boss, Gino Volante, the local mobster who hides behind the scenes in Hollywood's underworld, so they have no interest in solving the murder of yet one more call girl. With the help of her photographer friend, Joe, Dorothy sets out to catch a killer and regain some small portion of her soul - of the Dorothy Dunkel she once was.

Written by Janet Harvey and illustrated by Megan Levens, Angel City gives readers a gritty murder mystery with a determined, yet not invincible, enforcer-turned-sleuth. Harvey tells a magnificent tale with the perfect pacing to keep the action moving, while at the same time, providing backstory and depth to the characters (all except Joe, about whom we really learn very little throughout the six-chapter story). The characters are complex, and with the exception of only one or two, there is no true black or white, good or evil when it comes to people (just like in real life). There are simply individuals who face difficult choices and must live with the consequences of those choices.

Levens' art matches the mood of the story perfectly, with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood on the surface, yet dark and disturbing characters and acts behind the facade. The expressions she draws on the characters are outstanding! Not many artist I have seen can truly capture a wide variety of expressions, but Levens is able to show even the smallest hint of emotion - just check out Joe's face on panel 3 of page 90 to see what I mean. And Nik Filardi's colors definitely enhance the storytelling, with subdued reds and grays that blend beautifully to keep the noir feel to the book.

While Angel City is not for the faint of heart, neither is it overtly sexualized or profane. There is no real nudity (only implied) and there is very little, if any, cursing in the story. It is the subject matter itself that makes it dark, and it is the determination and realistic portrayal of the characters that makes the story so compelling.  This book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys noir or just a good murder mystery, and it was definitely the perfect way to close out a year that did not end so well.

RATING:  9 pearl-handled revolvers out of 10 for proving that noir Hollywood in the 1930s does not need to be dominated by male detectives - a woman can do the job just as well.

Peepland - a Hard Case Crime Comic

And they lived happily ever after...NOT!

Christa Faust is no stranger to hard-hitting stories. When I first saw Peepland advertised in the Titans Comics section of Previews, I immediately recognize Faust, as she had authored several horror books that I have read (including a Friday the 13th novel, a Nightmare on Elm Street novel, and the movie novelization of Final Destination 3). Thus, I not only knew she was a great writer, but I knew she wasn't afraid to tell a killer story!

Published under the "Hard Case Crime" imprint, Peepland tells the story of New York City at the end of 1986 - back when Times Square was still filled with dirty bookstores, porn-film theaters, and live peepshows.  It's the underbelly of New York and the people who lived and worked there.  Faust takes us not just into the adult-side of things, but also into these girls' homes and their regular lives filed with heartache and misery.

Roxy, one of the performers, is the main characters - and her story begins when a regular customer bursts into her booth, hides a video tape on the inside of the cushioned chair, and tells Roxy to leave it there until he comes back for it.  Which, naturally, he never does, because he is killed by two goons who push him in front of an oncoming subway.  Roxy knows something is up, so she takes the tape and passes it on to her fellow co-worker and friend, Aiesha, to hide for her.  It goes without saying that this tape holds something very important - something worth killing for - and soon enough, Roxy and her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Nick, discovery what that something is - a murder, caught on tape!

While there's never any mystery as to who the killer is, the stakes are high in this roller coaster ride of a tale, with unexpected twists every time you turn around.  No one is exactly who they seem, and some people will do just about anything to cover-up the truth of the murder.  And when Aiesha's son, Lorenzo, is accused of the crime, Aiesha's girlfriend convinces her brothers to pull off a high-stakes robbery to get enough money for Aiesha to hire a lawyer to save her son.  Of course, there's also the witness to the crime, who comes forward to tell what she knows and ask the police for protection - problem is, the detective she asks happens to be on the payroll of the one man who wants this murder covered-up - at any cost!

Faust pulls absolutely no punches with this story, and there are several unexpected and rather heart-breaking deaths throughout the tale.  Just when you start to feel for these characters, when you think you know who will survive, who will not, BAM!  Faust gives readers a hard core, hard crime story that will leave you breathless, yet wanting for more.

And Andrea Camerini's art is so perfectly fitting for the story - the characters are harrowed and flawed, the backgrounds are dirty and shadowed, and you can literally feel the Times Square grit as the story flows from panel to panel.  Kudos to Titan Comics for selecting the perfectly fitted artist for this tale.

This is one story that I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND to anyone who enjoys a good noir detective / murder mystery tale - it's gripping, it's fast-paced, it's engaging, and it will keep you hoping then dash them all  up until that very last panel.  Because, just like real life, there is no happy ending in the world of Peepland.

RATING:  10 live nude peep shows out of 10 for giving readers a crime noir story that kicks you in the gut, but leaves you 100% satisfied.

DASH - The Case of the Mysterious Zita Makara

It's not often (if at all) that I will review an ongoing comic series, mainly because I would have to keep coming back over and over to review the various stories throughout the series.  However, after reading the first four issues of DASH by writer Dave Ebersole and artist Delia Gable, well, I couldn't let it go by without saying something.

Dashell Malone - - or "Dash" as he's known to his friends - - is a small-time detective in the big city of Los Angeles back in the days when femme fatales were as deadly as they were beautiful, cops were none too keen on private dicks, and the mysteries always involved someone dying.  And from the moment the mysterious Zita Makara steps into Dash's office (which, coincidentally, is were our story begins), the reader knows she is going to be at the heart of this mystery.

Ebersole sets the stage for a great noir tale as Zita begs for Dash's help in obtaining a package for her.  He decides to think it over before making up his mind on whether to help her - a decision that turns out to be very costly!  It isn't until nearly half-way through the first issue that readers find out Dash is actually gay - meeting his male lover on the sly, since being gay was not tolerated in the time the story is set.  However, all his worlds come crashing together by the end of the first issue when Dash discovers his lover dead, yet another victim of the strange deaths occurring in Los Angeles recently - and finds the earring of the mysterious Zita Makara at the scene of the crime!

Thus begins Dash's investigation into the femme fatale that cost him the man he loved.  Only, finding her won't be as easy as he thought.  And not everyone he meets is who they appear to be.  And sometimes, the most unusual of all explanations could quite possibly be the truth - after all, the truth is stranger than fiction, isn't it?

The characters in this comic are diverse and very believable.  Dash, himself, is strong, self-reliant, yet sensitive and caring.  He has a great relationship with his secretary, Cindy Crenshaw, who, quite frankly, may be my favorite character in the series.  She is sarcastic, playful, yet 100% loyal to her boss, and the banter that occurs between her and her boss is pretty much the same way me and my boss communicate! Then there's Officer Sal McGillicutty, Dash's only friend left on the police force.  He has sympathy for Dash's plight and maintains his friendship with him, despite the rest of the force viewing Dash as a degenerate. Such as Detective Bruno Fernez, who is a bigoted, hateful cop who would like nothing better than to see Dash rot in a prison cell for no other reason than the fact that he is gay.  (Issue 2 has a very dramatic scene with Dash and the homophobic Detective Fernez, where we discover that while the force may not like Dash because he is gay, they have Fernez even more simply because he's a total @$$#*!%.)

In these first four issues, we not only get the set up for a unique mystery involving a centuries old mummy, a descendant from Egyptian royalty, and a dark power being used to revive a long forgotten son, but we also get an opportunity to see Dash face the fact that his lover was not exactly on the up and up with him and was hiding secrets that not only cost him his life, but may ultimately be the only thing that can prevent any more murders.

Ebersole knows how to provide the perfect issue breaks, ending each chapter (issue) with a great cliffhanger (like the old serials from yester-year) that leaves you desperately wanting for more.  The plot is face paced, yet not so fast as to not allow us to get to know each character (even some minor ones who are clearly going to play a much bigger role in the overall story).  Ebersole has the noir feel down just right, with Dash narrating the story like in the old black and white films.  The only drawback I can see at all from this series is the fact that after reading the first four issues together like this, I'm going to have to wait for who knows how long before issue 5 and future issues come out!

Oh, and did I mention that even though this is a comic / mystery series with a gay protagonist, there is absolutely no gratuitous sex / nudity?  I am so impressed and so thankful that Ebersole did not stoop to the level that most authors seem to find necessary with gay fiction to see his work.  Do Dash and Plink kiss?  Yes, of course they do, they love each other.  Do they end up in bed together?  In the first issue, yes, they do - but the reader only sees the after glow, with Dash and Plink waking up the next morning, fully covered.  It provides the same, if not better, affect for the reader, in that we see the characters actually have feelings for one another, and it's not just an act of animal lust used to titillate the reader for a few moments.  So, thank you, Ebersole, for proving that gay fiction can be great and enjoyable without the explicit sex.

RATING:  10 tail-eating snake necklaces out of 10 for a great detective tale combining the noir and supernatural genres seamlessly with great characters and even greater storytelling!

The Second Lucius Fogg Novel - Malicious Intent

Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here!

Jimmy Doyle and his cohorts are back for another round of noir supernatural mystery in Dan Wickline's second Lucius Fogg novel, Malicious Intent.  Ernie, Ryan, Patches, Emma, and of course, "Sea Bass" are all back for more 1950s action as the lines between the real world and the supernatural world are blurred by the sudden appearance of Kieran Drake, an old nemesis of Lucius Fogg.

Wickline provides another winner of a mystery, this time surrounding Fogg and his as of yet undisclosed past.  We find out exactly why it is that Lucius Fogg has not left his house in 65 years and why he will never be able to leave it.  We find out that he did, at one time, have a love interest (of sorts).  We find out that Ariel was not the first caretaker that Fogg had in his house.  We find out that Fogg has some secrets that are too powerful for anyone to know ... secrets hidden in his house ... a house that harbors some very unique, very strange, and very other dimensional aspects (such as a random room that can appear anywhere in the house; a room that is a warehouse larger than some on the waterfront; and more rooms and halls that can possibly fit inside of a house that size - think TARDIS, for those Doctor Who fans out there).

Doyle is written in his typical stubborn, out to help the underdog self, as he ignores his boss' directions at times to do what he knows to be right.  It gets him bit by a vampire, attacked by a powerful sorcerer, and it ultimately leads to some very meaningful and very saddening losses in his life (I won't spoil it by saying what happens to whom, but I will say that the losses are definitely game-changing events for Doyle and his life).  I must say, I was surprised by these events, and it takes a confident writer to make such drastic changes to his main character's life - but I will say, it definitely keeps things interesting and provides a warning - nothing and no one is safe in the Lucius Fogg universe!

An interesting tidbit was that when Doyle and Sea Bass went to the newspaper to follow up on a potential clue, a couple of names of the reporters stuck out to me - "Batson" and "Kirby."  Batson, for comic fans was the last name of Billy Batson, a/k/a Shazam!  And Kirby, well, I think anyone who's ever read comics knows about the "King," who created the Newsboy Legion back in the day.  Not sure if it was Wickline's intention to have those recognizable names or pure coincidence, but I personally would like to think it was a nice nod to them.

The one problem I did have with this book was with the actual printing of the book itself, not with the plot or actual writing.  I was reading along and as I finished chapter 26 and started chapter 27, I noticed that the 27 opened exactly the same way that 26 opened.  And the more I read, the more I thought to myself, "Didn't this just happen?"  So I went back and started comparing the paragraphs and pages of chapter 26 with chapter 27 and discovered they were exactly identical!   So I went on to read chapter 28, but immediately realized there was a jump here - meaning that somehow my copy of Malicious Intent did not have a proper chapter 27 - so whatever material was meant to be there, I did not get - instead, I simply go a repeat of chapter 26 and completely missed out on the real chapter 27 (which I'm guessing, based on later chapters, that chapter 27 gave the inside scoop on what the first gem held....).

However, that one flub did not take away from my thorough enjoyment of the story, and I am definitely looking forward to reading the third (but hopefully not the last!) book in this series.

8 seductive sirens out of 10 for having the guts to tell a great story with love, loss, vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, and a gumshoe detective willing to sacrifice everything to do what's right!

The First Lucius Fogg Novel - Deadly Creatures

I honestly can't remember how I fell upon this series.  Perhaps I happened across it while browsing Amazon, or maybe it was one of those "recommendations" that shows up on my Facebook page from time to time, or it could have even been a series someone mentioned to me somewhere.  Regardless of how I found out about it, I am glad I did.

What's interesting about this book (and possibly the series - won't know until I read the next books) is that although it is toted as a "Lucius Fogg novel," Mr. Fogg is not the protagonist.  Rather, Fogg's assistant, Jimmy Doyle, is the main character in the book.  Described as "an honorable man who took a bullet for his country," Doyle returns to New York City and becomes a private investigator.  Through various circumstances, he has come into the employ of the enigmatic Lucius Fogg and discovered a world beyond that which every day people like you and me see.

Author Dan Wickline creates an instantly likable character in Jimmy Doyle.  He is part pulp-detective, part hired-gun, and part occult-investigator.  He takes the strange goings-on around him in stride, although admits that when he first came to work for Fogg, it was all a bit overwhelming and hard to accept.  He genuinely cares for those around him, as is evidenced when he actually leaves Fogg's employ to chase justice for a client who was killed.  Lucius Fogg, on the other hand, is mysterious and reserved, and the reader only gets hints and teases as to who and "what" Fogg is.  He never leaves the house, and he only meets with clients after 9 p.m.  Is he a vampire?  A ghoul?  A cursed soul?  Wickline keeps the mystery of Fogg's identity under wraps for now - in some ways, it reminds me of the mystery surrounding Elizabeth Collins Stoddard in the opening years of Dark Shadows - she hadn't left the house in 18 years, and no one quite knew why.

 This first foray into the world of Lucius Fogg, Deadly Creatures, starts with an odd mystery involving young women who are being murdered by men who have never owned a gun, never fired a shot in their life, do not know the women they are shooting, and afterwards cannot explain what they have done.  The police are stumped, and for the first time, Detective Sebastian "Sea Bass" Lee comes to Fogg and Doyle for help.  Within the first 70 pages of the book, this mystery is resolved by Fogg, revealing demonic possession created by a man who became jealous of his best friend (love interest?)'s sudden involvement with a mysterious woman.  Doyle and Detective Lee have a showdown with the man and his demon, and ultimately, they take him down.

But that's not where the story ends...

Doyle can't shake the feeling there is more to the story.  And there is.  It turns out that one of the richest men in New York, and one of the most powerful, is hosting tournament fighting, but instead of normal men, he is utilizing werewolves.  There's only one problem - all of the night creatures, including werewolves, reside within Old Town, and they are protected under a pact made many years ago. So, then, where is Ravenstorm getting his fresh meat for the fights?  When one of Doyle's clients is turned into a fighting wolf, and then killed, Doyle has to seek justice, even if it means he has to give up his job with Fogg.  The stakes are high, a woman is involved (isn't there always?), and Doyle sacrifices his humanity to mete out justice for his fallen client.

Wickline provides a fast-moving, intricate web of deceit story where everything is not always what it seems, and those who may seem villainous at first may not be as bad as one initially thinks.  There are moments where you are not quite sure whether you should like a character or hate him/her, and then Wickline surprises you by suddenly proving your thoughts on the character wrong.  A number of supporting cast members have definitely been set up in this introductory story.  I particularly liked Tiny, who was a bouncer for a particular vampire club in Old Town.  If you read the book, you'll understand why.

I know Wickline has currently published three books in this series, and I hope there are more to come.  Definitely a series I would recommend for fans of the supernatural and mystery genres!

RATING:  9 messenger crows out of 10 for opening up a whole new world of supernatural mysteries for me (and others!) to enjoy.