Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson: Book 2)

9/10

Like most people who own their own business, I work long hours that start early in the morning. So when someone calls me in the middle of the night, they'd better be dying... Mechanic Mercy Thompson is woken at 3am by a vampire calling in a favour. He has to deliver a message to a fellow undead and needs a witness that won't be noticed - and Mercy's shapeshifting abilities make her the perfect candidate. But the assignment turns into a bloodbath and Mercy attracts the attention of not just a powerful vampire, but the even more powerful demon possessing him. She can count on the supernatural community for protection - and alpha werewolf Adam would like her to rely on him in other ways too - but when it comes to being proactive, she's on her own.

Something is wrong in the Tri Cities.  A shadow has fallen across its inhabitants just as surely as if the sun hid behind a cloud.  A new vampire has come into town with out stopping by the local seethe to pay his respects which is a very bad thing as Mercy is about to find out.  Stefan, a vampire (who comically painted his VW bus to look like the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo) and friend of Mercy’s is to stand trial for murder and be executed if she can’t get to the bottom of what is going on in the cities.  Its left to Mercy to discover who and what she truly is before things go to far and more people die.  The more she digs the more trouble Mercy finds herself in and the more trouble she finds herself in the more she wonders if it’s just a vampire she’s hunting.

True to books past this newest book by Patricia Briggs is just as brilliant as the last.  Now adding a true element of a love triangle as Adam and Samuel posture for Mercy’s affections Patricia Briggs loses none of her energy.  Running full throttle through the city, seethe, and even darker shadows the reader is dragged along through vampire politics and deeper mysteries.  Engaging and smart Blood Bound is a definite must read.