One Grave at a Time: A Night Huntress Novel: A Night Huntress Novel a Night Huntress Novel (Night Huntress Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Book 6 in Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series picks up immediately where Book 5 (This Side of the Grave: A Night Huntress Novel) left off - with the reappearance, as a ghost, of Cat Crawford's recently deceased uncle Don.

Yet despite Cat and her sexy husband Bones' best efforts, five weeks after he passed, Don is still busily haunting them. Before long, though, it seems that trouble is afoot - Cat's former employee, Sergeant Tate Bradley (now Don's acting successor at the Homeland Security Department) calls to request Cat's presence. The team's new operations consultant, a government desk jockey with an aversion to vampires, wants to meet her. So Cat, Bones, and Don set off to participate in what NOBODY believes will be a routine evaluation.

If that wasn't enough, Cat's ghostly assistant, Fabian brings a friend's ongoing problem to her attention. Fabian's friend, a ghost named Elizabeth, is a virtual outcast in ghostly society... thanks to her ongoing quest to end the existence of another ghost. Elizabeth was tortured and burned as a witch by a German witchfinder, Kramer. In retaliation for his acts, Elizabeth had succeeded in ending Kramer's mortal life, but unfortunately that had only proven to be the beginning of the story as Kramer too became a ghost. Since his demise, Kramer's ghost has become increasingly powerful... so much so that he is able to manifest physically for an entire night every Halloween: only to kidnap, torture and extract confessions of witchcraft from 3 women before burning them alive. Naturally, Cat and Bones set out to bring an end to the ghost's serial murdering, but with Homeland Security no longer as friendly to their activities as in the past matters have become distinctly trickier.

It's always nice to see how well Frost writes the relationship between Cat and Bones - having worked through a great many problems and insecurities what they share is now a well-rounded partnership. Bones' obvious pride when Cat refers to herself as Cat Crawford Russell for the first time is enough to make Cat want to use her married name on a permanent basis, and his explanation of the fact that it not only doesn't bother him that she's powerful (possibly more powerful than him) but comes as a source of comfort since he knows it helps to keep her safe proves that, despite his long lifespan, Bones is a truly enlightened and supportive male. There's humour too, and the frustration of Cat and Bones' personal time - largely caused by ghostly interruptions - leads to a novel joining of the Mile High Club. Suffice it to say, that ghosts CAN'T fly and vampires CAN!

There are some welcome reappearances from characters from earlier novels - Ian, Justina, Spade and Denise - but also some omissions (no Mencheres or Vlad! The latter, IMO, a particular shame). Although the story stands up reasonably well alone there are a lot of loose ends left here for future development: particularly surrounding Don, Tate and the future of Cat's former government team and I'd certainly recommend anyone who hasn't read the previous Night Huntress novels to start with Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress 1).

...baddies come first. They are 'marrieds', not newlyweds.

I was so pleased that I got this in time for the bank holiday weekend, and it started off fine, but this is the second Cat and Bones book that I found myself putting down time and time again. Though very readable and a good book, it and its predecessor don't have the same intensity of the first four books in the series, when C&B were still trying to find themselves and learn about each other, and whilst I enjoyed it, it felt simply as if they were on a mission, and that there wasn't quite the time for quality C&B time.

It is a really good tale - C&B learn from a new 'ghost friend' (ghosts and revenants are still clinging to her, due to the remnants of Marie Laveau's 'gift' to Cat in the last book), that a centuries-old ghost, Heinrich Kramer, a witch-hunter (and seemingly, a misogynist) calling himself The Inquisitor, is able to take corporeal form on All Hallows Eve...and that each year at this time, he tortures and then burns to death innocent female victims. The newest ghost, Elizabeth, herself a victim of the witch hunter, has kept herself 'alive' for over 500 years trying to finally kill Kramer when he is in human form, and as she is a friend of Fabian (and the woman he loves but is too shy to make a move on), C&B agree to hunt down Kramer.

The book is all about trying to get Kramer's potential victims to safety before he is able to hurt them, and then to destroy/trap him for once and for all, but he has the power to physically hurt C&C ad their friends, and there is precious little time for C&B to have any personal time. However, they do manage a couple of abortive scenes, and one full-on one whilst flying, but for me, the relationship, passion and romance between C&B is what makes the series, and the lack of all of this in this tale - entirely due to the pace of the tale - lost it some marks for me.

On the plus-side, we get to see Denise & Spade living their HEA, and his revenge on someone who dared to hurt and nearly kill his beloved wife. We get to see Ian, who is as cheeky, arrogant, but as loyal as ever, and Justina who has quit the team and decided to be a 'vegetarian vampire' i.e. not feeding from people (not quite going to plan); we get a glimpse of Tate, but no other team members. We do hear briefly about Mencheres and his girlfriend (i.e. not his wife yet), Kira, but he's apparently too busy to appear in this tale, though his wealth does aid C&B. We find out more about Don, who could have done more to help C&B in this mission...and at the time the book ends, there is a definite breach between him and Cat.

Don's replacement turns out to be a jobsworth type with delusions of grandeur and an as-yet-unknown agenda, who seems to actually hate everyone on the old team, but C&B most of all, and who demotes Tate and then tries to control everything, with disastrous consequences...but the tale ends with many things unanswered in terms of the team/team-no-more and Don. However, as this book is set not long after its precedent, I think that maybe the next will pick up immediately where this one ends up and all will be revealed.

Book 7, the next in the series, is where originally JF had intended the series to end, but there will now be 9 books in total. I think we've been spoiled this year, to actually get 2 whole books only 6 months apart, and a Xmas novella coming in November, but there is no info on the author's website about book 7. No schedule, no tentative title, nothing. BUT, there is good news: in March 2012, we'll see the first of 2 books in the Night Prince series, featuring no other than Vlad as the male lead. Not sure why she has created another side-series, and not issued it under the Night Huntress World series (as Spade's and Mencheres' tales were), but bring it on. The female is apparently a new intro called Leila, and whilst 2 books are contracted for now, there may be more. Yes, please! She does also say that maybe she'll do another full-length novel once she wraps up C&B, so maybe Ian will get his just desserts?

Overall, a really good addition to the series, but it needed a bit more C&B time.

It is always so nice to revisit these characters and the Night Huntress world. Cat, Bones, Spade, Denise, Fabian....the whole gang. There was only one significant absence, however. No Vlad! And I absolutely adore him (even if Bones doesn't), so it was such a shame he didn't feature. Obviously he's off having amazing and wild adventures which we can all read about when his new spin-off series: Night Prince, starts in March 2012. We did, on the plus side, meet a fabulous new character by the name of Tyler, who I am desperately hoping and praying is going to become a permanent fixture in the series. He was so great and provided many great one-liners and lots of sass and attitude. I couldn't help seeing Lafayette from True Blood whenever he was in a scene. My favourite quote from him:

"That face, that body . . . and you know he's packing, look at the angle of that dangle!."

The story revolves around a nasty, evil spirit who has a history of violence against women. Death hasn't improved his personality much. Of Course it's down to Cat, with her powers left over from the previous book, and Bones, because where she goes, he goes, to fix the ghostly problem. It was nice to see them working together like this. They are now an unbreakable pair, no longer running off on their own to try and save the other without thinking through any of the consequences. Who says you can't teach an old vamp new tricks, eh?

I did very much enjoy this book, yet I have to say there was a slightly more sedate feel to it than past efforts. When you compare it to the drama and turmoil of books 1-4, the last one and this one have both been a lot calmer and slightly slower paced. Perhaps this is a natural evolvement because the character's relationships are more settled now, and as a positive it's also easier to read in terms of my blood pressure now that they are, BUT, I almost want to throw a spanner in the works just to make the next book a bit livelier. Wicked, aren't I? Mwah ha ha!

Anyway, I'm sure the next one will kick it up a notch and I can't wait to read the synopsis for it.

I'm liking the new cover model. I liked the last one too, and she will probably always be my mental picture for Cat, but this one is very pretty too. And Cat's cat (snort) Helsing plays quite a big roll in the book so it's good that it features on there too!