The story is straight forward -- not a lot of character development -- the book is too short. Usually those are damning traits. Maybe my expectations have settled down a bit for this series, because I actually enjoyed this second installment of Brigg's Mercy Thompson series.

A few months have passed since the conclusion of the first book. Werewolves are just beginning to come out of hiding, but this book hinges around the vampires of the Tri-City area. Again, Mercy lends a hand and is duly rewarded for her troubles.

Briggs doesn't seem to have a larger arc that spans beyond the "problem--solution" plot contained within individual books, which is a pity. If you enjoyed the first installment, then you will have fun with this one (and you probably didn't need this review to tell you that). If you haven't read the first one, don't start in the middle (though I've never known anyone to purposefully pick up book 2 or 3 in a series to get started).