I thought I’d use my first Daring You To Read... post of 2012 to shed a bit of attention on a fabulous Canadian author: D. D. Barant. He’s created a wonderful urban fantasy series called The Bloodhound Files. The books centre on Jace Valchek, a (human) FBI profiler who gets taken from our reality and pulled into a new one, in which humans are an endangered species in a world filled with vampires, werewolves, and golems. Despite their supernatural abilities, they need Jace to track down a serial killer, because mental instability is unknown in weres, pires, and lems.
The book is exquisitely written, with a lot of humour and a well crafted and layered plot. The history of this Jace’s new world parallels our world in some ways but is completely different in other ways. Jace is incredibly stubborn and smart, trying not to be overwhelmed by the differences between the two realities. She’s also got to catch a killer, armed with minimal knowledge of the world she’s been dragged into and a fierce golem named Charlie for a partner. Charlie’s actually one of my favourite characters in the book. He’s got a 1940s sense of style and a really dry sense of humour. Jace’s nemesis is a fantastic villain. He’s well motivated, smart, and dedicated, which makes him a good foe. I love it when authors create strong villains because it makes all of the hero(ine)’s successes seem like real achievement.
I’ve recommended this book to several friends and most of them have been completely hooked. I hope you’ll feel the same!
Her job description is the “tracking and apprehension of mentally-fractured killers.” What this really means in FBI profiler Jace Valchek’s brave new world—one in which only one percent of the population is human—is that a woman’s work is never done. And real is getting stranger every day…
Jace has been ripped from her reality by David Cassius, the vampire head of the NSA. He knows that she’s the best there in the business, and David needs her help in solving a series of gruesome murders of vampires and werewolves. David’s world—one that also includes lycanthropes and golems—is one with little knowledge of mental illness. An insane serial killer is a threat the NSA has no experience with. But Jace does. Stranded in a reality where Bela Lugosi is a bigger box office draw than Bruce Willis and every full moon is Mardi Gras, Jace must now hunt down a fellow human before he brings the entire planet to the brink of madness. Or she may never see her own world again…
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
Have you read any – or all – of the Bloodhound Files?
The fourth book of the series, Better Off Undead, was released in October and book five comes out in March so there’s no time like the present to start reading this series!
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Hi!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know this series! Not even the author! Thanks for sharing! :)
I haven't heard of this series before, but it looks great. And I always love finding new Canadian authors.
ReplyDeleteAwesome review! This is a new author to me. But I'd love to get a chance to read her work soon. Thanks for posting! DeAnna
ReplyDeleteGlad to finally see someone promoting this series. I've read the first three and am looking forward to 4 and 5.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely urban fantasy, the romance, if any, is very light in the first three books. Which is fine, sometimes you need a change.
@Proserpine, Sarah, SacredmOOn: I hope you pick Dying Bites up soon. Support Canadian authors!! =) Can't wait to hear what you think of it.
ReplyDelete@Anne: I'm re-reading Death Blows right now and will be posting about it soon. I'm so excited for 4 and 5!!