STALKING THE OTHERS is an urban fantasy aficionado's
melting pot. We have the kick-ass heroine, Shiarra Waynest,
on a mission of vengeance. There is a sexy-yet-seemingly
evil vampire who Shia is attracted to but does not trust. We
also have werewolves, a ghost inhabiting a magical belt that
gives the heroine heightened strength, speed, and healing
capabilities, and a group of humans that put everything on
the line to hunt the numerous supernatural creatures that
exist in this alternate New York. STALKING THE OTHERS is the
fourth book in the H&W Investigations series by Jess
Haines.
The book opens with Shiarra continuing her hunt (from the
previous book Deceived By The Others) for her sleazy
ex-boyfriend Chaz and his pack of werewolves. She believes
Chaz killed a local journalist who published a revealing
article about Chaz' pack, called the Sunstrikers. Shia is
also on a quest for revenge because Chaz cheated on her.
Shia is also wanted by the police who suspect her as
the killer of the murdered journalist so she is constantly
on the run. Her family has disowned her, she cannot trust
anyone and she is also desperate to find her missing sister.
Inwardly, Shia seems to place a lot of blame on herself for
the chaos that has arisen in her life and the life of those
closest to her. In the previous book, she was attacked by a
werewolf in Chaz' pack and therefore there is a possibility
that she may turn during the next full moon. There is
nothing that Shia wants less than to become a monster, but
it seems that with the magical belt's influence, she may
have already become one. Outwardly it seems that Shia is
taking all of that guilt out in the form of blind revenge.
She tears through the city without much thought about who
she is killing when she is wearing the magical belt.
I will start off by saying that I had not read the
previous three books in the series, but I would definitely
recommend doing so before reading STALKING THE OTHERS. The
book was very entertaining, but reading the previous books
would help avoid confusion and help to understand specific
aspects of the story. Reading the previous books should
also help to understand the psyche of the heroine more in
the present novel. As a regular reader of urban fantasy, I
found all the necessary components to make this an engaging
story. Shiarra is a tough character who has outside forces
that seem to make her a bit frenzied and destructive, but
manages to maintain a sense of humor that makes her more
likable. I look forward to seeing where her journey takes
her in the next book!
Vampires, werewolves, mages - the Others are very real, and
wreaking havoc in Shiarra Waynest's life. But now, she's
retuming the favour...Once, she was one of the good guys -
or as close as a New York P.I. can get. Then Shiarra Waynest
was drawn into the world of the Others. Every faction has
its own loyalties and agenda.
And Shia's recent betrayal by
her ex-boyfriend means that she may be on the verge of
becoming a rogue werewolf at the next full moon...Of course,
with all the threats against her, Shia's not sure she'll
live long enough to find out. The enigmatic vampire Royce
wants her back in his clutches, as do two powerful werewolf
packs, along with the police. Instead of going into hiding,
Shia is enlisting the aid of her enchanted hunter's belt and
every dirty P.I. trick she knows. If she's going down,
she'll take out as many of her enemies as she can - and hope
that in the process, she keeps whatever humanity she has left...