Pack of Lies

Pack of Lies By Laura Anne Gilman Copyright February 2011 Publisher Luna My name is Bonita Torres, and eight months ago I was an unemployed college graduate without a plan. Now I'm an investigator with the Private Unaffiliated Paranormal Investigations team of New York. Pretty awesome, right? The Cosa Nostradamus, the magical community, isn't quick to give up its secrets, though. Not even to fellow members. Not even when it's in their best interests. So we've been busting our tails, perfecting our forensic skills, working to gain acceptance. The team's tight... but we have our quirks, too. And our Big Dog, Benjamin Venec...well, he's a special case, all right. But we can't give up. We're needed, especially when a case comes along that threatens to pit human against fatae. But one wrong move could cost us everything we've worked for.... Bonni and the pack were in the middle of a training session at their office. They are working on their defenses and teamwork. Bonni and Nick have been "killed" and were sitting out the rest of the workout, when their senior boss Ian Stossel lets them know that they have a job to do. There is a report of a young woman, a Talent is apparently sexually attacked one evening and her companion has killed one assailant and partially disemboweled the other. Bonni and her teammates head off to the scene of the attack and look for witnesses and evidence of exactly what occurred. The thing about this case is that the young woman's companion is a Ki-Rin. Ki-Rin are at the very top of the Fatae hierarchy and that makes it imperative that this case is handled quickly and efficiently. This is the second book in Ms. Gilman's new series "Paranormal Scene Investigations". This is an outstanding book, with outstanding character development, and a clear indication that the author wants her heroes to stand out from the crowd. Laura Anne Gilman can be found hanging out on twitter @LAGilman and also at https://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf#!/lauraanne.gilman FTC Full Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my local library with full intentions of reviewing it on line. fttp://www.noraadrienne.wordpress.comshow more

On the heels of Gilman's Hard Magic, Pack of Lies is the second book in the Paranormal Scene Investigations series. I was impressed with the debut and so had high expectations for this novel to be equally as entertaining. In Pack of Lies, the PUPI team have been involved in a handful of cases in the intervening 8 months but are still struggling to be accepted. The Council has engaged them in a new case that seems to be open and shut but it quickly becomes apparent that not all is as it seems. The team finds themselves caught up in tensions between the Council, Lonejacks and Fa'tae as they investigate. Everybody seems to be telling the truth, but someone has to be lying. The mystery is more complex in this story than the first, however I felt the villian was identified too early in the book and so it's the process rather than the conclusion that carries the story. That's not a bad thing because I find the details fascinating but I do like a climatic reveal. It also seemed to me that given the history of Aden's behaviour, she should have been a suspect earlier and I am eager to find out just what the history there is. Despite these flaws the premise is interesting and story moves at a good pace with twists to maintain suspense. There is a stronger sense of romantic tension in this book between Bonita and Ben which I really enjoyed. It's a slow burning, sizzling attraction that adds some real heat. I am looking forward to seeing this develop across the series. Gilman continues to reveal snippets of the rest of the teams personalities and backgrounds. I had thought that Gilman might give each of the team a more dominant role in subsequent books but it doesnt seem that will be the case. Bonita remains the character that most of the story is filtered through. I think Pack of Lies is a strong sequel to Hard Magic and equally as entertaining. I would like to see the mystery aspect strengthened in further installments however I will be looking for the release of the third book, and in the meantime I plan to read Gilman's Retriever series.show more