First off I have to congratulate the author on whoever did her cover art. My husband practically tripped over his feet while staring at the cover of this book. That was a first considering the only time I really see him pick up a book is when he's moving it out of the way.I picked this up some time ago and it sat on my nightstand until I finally decided to give it a go. This is not a new book (publication 2010) but I don’t always review brand new books. If I read something I really like, I want to share that with other people. So, look at me…I’m sharing! Where’s my cookie??!
I hadn’t read anything by this author before so I always get nervous when I take a chance. But…this was a great book! I believe that this was the author’s debut novel and it seems to be a strong start to a new and original urban fantasy series.
Synopsis of the book taken from Kasey Mackenzie’s website:
As a Fury, Marissa Holloway belongs to an Arcane race that has avenged wrongdoing since time immemorial. As Boston’s Chief Magical Investigator for the past five years, she’s doing what she was born to: solving supernatural crimes.
It’s far from business as usual when the body of one of Riss’s sister Furies washes up in Boston harbor. Riss discovers that the corpse’s identity has been magically altered, but as soon as she reports her findings, she’s immediately—and inexplicably—suspended from her job. Then a human assassin makes an attempt on her life, and Riss starts to realize that someone may be trying to stir up strife between mortals and Arcanes.
When a Fury gets mad, she gets even, and Riss is determined to untangle this case. Without the support of the mortal PD, Riss turns to the one man she can trust to watch her back—shapeshifting Warhound Scott Murphy. But since Scott is also Riss’s ex, she’ll have to keep a tight leash on more than just the supernatural rage that feeds her power as they try to solve a murder—and stop a war…
What I liked the most about this book was its originality. I have read lots (tons) of urban fantasy books but I have never picked up one that had a Fury as a main character, or even one that had Harpies as main characters in it. I enjoyed reading that aspect of the book because I am bit of a mythology buff. For all you that are not in the “know,” there are a couple of different definitions of Furies, but the one I most identify with is that they are women (or goddesses of vengeance, depending on which pantheon you go with) who can be extraordinarily cruel but who are put upon the earth to pursue sinners.
I think it was pretty cool how the author took that portion of mythology and placed the main character, Marissa, into a position of authority within law enforcement. So it fits, but in a way that is a little more believable than if Marissa was sitting on a throne somewhere pointing her finger and turning Earth’s little sinners into dust. She gets her ass kicked occasionally which, in my opinion, is a good way to keep a character humble.
I don’t have many complaints about this one. I thought it was a well written and entertaining story. If I had to say anything at all, it would be that I occasionally thought Scott’s dialogue was a little bit smarmy. He wasn’t my favorite character in the book. I think I related a little bit more to the character of Sean, even though we didn’t see him much. I was unsure where his character was going but I’m hopeful we’ll see some more of him in the next book and he won’t be crazy or anything like that.
I am officially on the fence about Marissa and Scott.
Bottom line – This book is a strong start to a hopefully long running series. I will be purchasing the second book in the series, most likely tonight, and will review that one as well. I definitely recommend picking this book up and adding it to your urban fantasy collection.
You can purchase via Amazon at this link: Red Hot Fury
Overall Rating - 
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