Darkfever

by Karen Marie Moning

Dell, 349 pp, $6.99

This is an interesting trip into the paranormal universe of romance fiction. Ms. Moning’s creatures’d’jour, however, are not vampires (well, okay - one is) or werewolves (none sighted yet) but the Seelie and Unseelie courts of the Fae in Ireland. In Dublin to be specific. The Seelie are creatures of the Light and the Unseelie of course, are creatures of the Dark. And the twain, each with their own agendas, are not fond of the other.

Trust me: this is a pretty dark tale.

MacKayla Lane from Ashford, Georgia goes to Dublin seeking closure on her sister’s mysterious, messy death. A student a Trinity College, Alina Lane was found rather mangled in a dark, dank alley way. And the Dublin police haven’t any leads.

Mac, as she is known, is a carefree, pink-nail-polish-and-gold-sandaled sun worshiper. A happy, 22-year-old bartender whose worst nightmare has been running out of her favorite nail polish.

Once settled into Dublin---MacKayla becomes NOT so happy-go-lucky. She uncovers, bit by bit, a dark world of monstrous creatures preying on humans. Preying on humans hidden by a glamour so they appear drop-dead gorgeous.

MacKayla’s sister Alina left her a cell phone message a few hours before she died, telling her, among other things, that she must find something called the Sinsar Dubh (Gaelic for a Dark Book of terrible magic) before anyone else does, especially the Unseelie or the world as we know it will go to hell in a very large hand cart.

MacKayla’s attempts to unravel her sister’s frantic final phone message lead her to Jerricho Barrons and his odd bookstore. The two make an uneasy alliance since both are looking for the Sinsar Dubh.

And as MacKayla tries to unravel her sister’s murder, she discovers she is a Sidhe-seer, one who can see through any fae-glamour: She can see the terrors for what they are.

So off we go—monster hunting through Dublin. The tension is great, the story very creepy and different. Written in first person, it’s snarky—but not too chic/hip.

And Jerricho Barrons remains a delicious enigma through out the story. We (and MacKayla) know very little about who or what Jerricho is, but he’s very buff, drop dead gorgeous and sexy—and able to drop from the rafters of a warehouse 30 feet to the ground without flinching.

And, after MacKayla gets in an awesome battle with a great many of the Unseelie (and the afore-mentioned vampire), Barrons is able to do a little speed healing on her as well.

Of course, there is another book coming out.

And dang—I can’t wait! - Sue Martin