Deadtown [Mass Market Paperback]

Three years ago a plague caused by a one-in-a-billion mutation hit downtown Boston. Only humans were vulnerable to it. The werewolves, shapeshifters, and vampires suddenly found themselves surrounded by thousands of dead humans. Three days later, the zombies began to rise. Boston has never been the same since.

Deadtown is the nickname for Designated Area 1. This is the part of Boston where all Paranormal Americans (PAs) have to live without a permit. All PAs, including the zombies...ahem, previously deceased humans...reside and pretty much get along like the humans do. Those in Deadtown consider themselves fortunate. Though they do not have many legal rights, there are states, such as New Hampshire, where PAs have none.

Victory "Vicky" Vaughn can shapeshift at will up to three times each month. She is Boston's only professional demon slayer. Her on-again, off-again boyfriend is a werewolf and lawyer, Alexander Kane. While Kane keeps busy campaigning for full legal equity at the federal level for humans and PAs, Vicky is trying to simply get some much needed sleep. Her vampire roommate, Juliet, is not the problem. Vicky is dealing with the multiple problems in her private life during the day and slaying demons for her clients at night. Usually demon slaying can be accomplished in one night, while in her client's dream, but a blast from Vicky's past has returned. The ultra powerful Hellion that killed her father and marker her ten years ago is back. Vicky's teen zombie apprentice and the sinfully-hot homicide investigator Daniel Costello, must help Vicky find out who is controlling the Hellion before all of Boston is destroyed.

***** FIVE STARS! If you only read the description on the back cover of the book, then you have a pretty good idea of the story. However, it does not give the full impact of how well developed this story is. I hope my synopsis will somehow explain, if only a bit more, of the depth in which the author went into for this tale. There is much I left out for fear of giving spoilers. As for the small story sample that can be read on the very first page - misleading. It clearly shows how well the author can paint a scene, but it gave me the impression that the zombies would be the unintelligent monsters from movies and video games.

One thing is for sure, the author has a winner with Vicky Vaughn. Whether I think back on the writing style, character developments, or anything else, I can recall absolutely zero flaws. Nancy Holzner has created a unique story that is exceptional in every possible way. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

If you are intrigued by a new paranormal world where zombies (oops Recently Deceased Humans) just want to be loved and treated equally, then you'll love Deadtown. Brilliantly funny and believable zombies, werewolves, vamps and other dark creatures of the night exist side by side in a sort of refugee camp outside of Boston separated by the New Combat Zone, a buffer between the norms and the paranormals (PR). A This class schism erupts after a plague breaks out in Boston and other cities and its citizens either die or are reanimated providing a whole new problem for the city government to deal with. In the wake of the plague, other paranormal residents who hid under cover of darkness come out to help with the cleanup. In Revealing themselves Holzner not only pens a great world but highlights supernatural class issues: zombies and other paranormals fighting for their civil rights in a world dominated by norms.

The plucky heroine of the story is Victory Vaughn, a Cerddorion, a race of shapeshifters who can pretty much shift into anything. With a legacy stretching back to ancient Wales, Victory Vaughn's destiny is to eradicate demons despite being marked by one, while dating a werewolf PA (Paranormal American) rights lawyer and fighting her attraction to a golden haired cop. Now if she could only get her sword back from her zombie sidekick, then she could do some damage!

Deadtown was a dead refreshing read (pardon the pun!), with plenty of laughs and animated secondary characters. A pleasure to read and I look forward to seeing more of Holzner in the future.

I hate writing negative reviews, but the point is to help people figure out whether the book will entertain them or not. If you want a heroine who you believe could wipe the floor with a demon, then don't read this book. She thinks that leather trousers and spike heals are the way a kick-ass demon-slayer dresses. When a friend borrows a sword (not to use in battle, oh no, it is to show off her fledging skills to a friend) that she needs (it has special powers, of course) to fight a major demon lord instead of smacking the idiot from here into next week, she ends up forgiving her and even congratulating her (am trying not to give away too much here, she does give a reaon, which I find ridiculous, but seriously, she almost died because she didn't have the sword, and she just lets that go?! I'm all for forgiveness, but surely that is just suicidal?!).

There are various other stupid things too, like a sanctimonious sister who signs a contract without reading it, that leads to her daughter being legally kidnapped. Our heroine saves her niece, having to do some fairly violent and unpleasant things in the process, as you might imagine, which freaks the girl out. The mother uses that opportunity to keep them separated once she has her daughter back, and instead of encouraging her daughter to see and thank her heroic aunt who saved her from being experimented on and being locked up, encourages her to be weak, stupid and hypocrtical. And our heroine not only accepts this, but ends up agreeing with her!!! I'm all for the girl needing to get over her scare, but I'd never put up with her treating the person who saved her like that - especially when it was her own moronic mother who put her at risk...

Anyway, so, I'm sure there are people who will enjoy reading this book - and I have no doubt there are some books that I think are great that other would think are complete rubbish, so am casting no aspersion! If you are a fan of Ilona Andrews/Patricia Briggs/Kelley Armstrong/Rachel Caine etc. this probably isn't the book for you...