greywalker by kat richardson

I know I love the cover–a creepy version of Seattle in the background.

At first, there is a gray mist between me and Harper, a private investigator. She seemed a distant character, detached, not welcoming a reader’s intention to get to know her better. On the first encounter, she was being pummeled to death by a perp, left for dead—for two minutes. After being revived, she started to see a gray mist everywhere, populated by all sorts of creatures: half-aware memories, ghosts, revenants, guardians, and many more she only catches glimpses of so far.

As this was happening, my excitement was slow to build up. I guess, I was spoiled by my recent reads, sexy vampires, striking characters, fast paced action that I was a little irritated by Greywalker’s wavering pace and casual characterization. With little preamble, little character backgrounder, it pushed in into the mist, pulling out two odd cases for Harper: a missing person who may have gotten involved with a rough crowd and a lost antique organ.

These cases are more than they seem at first. Apparently, Harper’s death and ability to see into the Grey, that place between the living and dead, also gave her a magnetic appeal towards all things paranormal; the rough crowd are composed of real vampires engaged in a political power play, and the antique is a powerful necromancer’s tool.

Though it was slow to pick up, things did get more interesting as the paranormal elements got creepier. About a fourth into the book, I didn’t care if Harper was too businesslike and composed—except on one or two occasions when the Grey occurrences got overly frisky. I was only too glad that she had the wits and intelligence to be able to dig up answers and stand up against an underground world of vampires.

The story grew on me, I guess. The unseen world that I now could see through Harper is an intriguing universe. I also enjoyed Harper’s negotiation skills—what she lacks in butt-kicking ability, she makes up for by tenacity and a silver tongue.

I’m not crazy about Greywalker, but I would love to follow it up with Poltergeist and Underground, the sequels. The series gets better, I heard. Maybe, it would grow on me some more that by the third book I would be raving about how much I love it.

Tagged: bookish activities, fantastic, greywalker, kat richardson, out of this world, paranormal thriller, really mysterious, supernatural fantasy, supernatural mystery, supernatural thriller

Posted in: fantastic, really mysterious