I Ate the Sherriff by K. Bennett
Book stats:
Reading level: Adult
Paperback: 310 pages
Genre: Paranormal Legal Thriller
Publisher: Kensington
Release date: August 7, 2012
Series: Mallory Caine, Zombie at Law #3
Source: Review copy from the publisher
Reviewed by: Stéphanie
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
You Have The Right To Remain Dead
What's worse than killing a cop? Eating him afterwards. Which is exactly what happened to a Los Angeles County sheriff on Mulholland Drive. Now Mallory Caine, zombie at law, faces the toughest trial of her life--her own--since she's the prime suspect. Ironically, Mallory's been suppressing her undead desires in a 12-step zombie recovery group. It's her human desires that scare her. . .
Anyone You Crave Can And Will Be Held Against You
He's one hot werewolf named Steve "Rawhide" Ravener, and he's Mallory's latest client. His cheating wife has run off with a rival pack, and if he hopes to see their cubs again, he needs a lawyer whose bite is worse than his bark. Needless to say, family law has never been this hairy. And with a murder charge hanging over her head, a snake goddess charming her mother, and all kinds of hell-spawn taking over L.A., Mallory's plate is full. And she's dying to take a bite…
When I first got into this series, I had not clue how to categorize it into a genre. Without a doubt, it can be categorized as as a paranormal series because it does have zombies, vampires, werewolves, demons and many other paranormal beings. However, I truly believe it’s more than that. It can also be seen as a legal thriller since the main character, Mallory Caine, is a zombie lawyer. It does have multiple court room scenes but it’s not as dry as you might think. Actually, the author is very informative and writes in a way that keeps you on edge, hanging on to his every word. The author, no doubt, has a legal background because not only does he know his way around the courtroom, but he references multiple cases and laws. The courtroom scenes are actually one of the best scenes in the books since we see Mallory in her prime—defending people (and herself) whom aren’t necessarily innocent.
Mallory Caine is the type of protagonist you can’t stop rooting for. Living as a zombie in L.A. is quite difficult for her because walking the the busy streets is like walking into a casino as a recovering gambling addict. Living in L.A. as a lawyer isn’t all that easier since everyone seems to be against her. However she does have a few people working along side her. Her new client, Steve Ravener, strongly believes in her, and Father Clemente who really wants her to choose good over evil. Because L.A. is about to be hit by something bad and evil, the Lord of Darkness, Satan himself. Mallory isn’t too sure what is happening to her city but she does sense the forces of evil are getting stronger. Especially since she knows her ex, Aaron Argula, is the son of Satan and has the mayor of the city on his side. Also, zombies are on the rise, the mayor is more corrupt than usual, cults are being created and prophesies are being revealed.
Despite her good intentions, trouble always seems to find Mallory and after two years of being a zombie, she has finally gotten caught. Caught for eating the sheriff (but not the deputy). And let me elaborate on that a little. For those of you who haven’t read the series, Mallory isn’t you’re average zombie. She’s not the mindless monster Hollywood has made us believe zombies are. Don’t get me wrong, she is dead and she has been raised from the dead. And she no doubt feels the need to eat brains. Especially human brains. She has tried to go on a cow brain diet, but for her, it’s just not the same as the real deal. She has tried to live off the brain of scum, the bad guys roaming the streets, acting as a vigilante of sorts but she knows deep down eating human brain is not right. As the narrator, her character really shows us her internal conflicts over he diet and despite her murdering ways, we can see the goodness through of her selfless acts throughout the series.
A fair warning to some readers. The author does go into some gory details when Mallory feasts on human brain but those scenes aren’t overly bloody and gross. But since the book does involve some cannibalism, I just thought I should warn you beforehand.
Frighteningly sassy and more than occasionally morbid, Mallory makes a wonderful narrator for this series. She is sarcastic to no limit and she knows how to play dirty in court. We do see her evolve throughout the series but bottom line, the Mallory Caine in I ATE THE SHERIFF, is the same Mallory you meet in the first two books of the series. She definitively gives a new meaning to the the saying “Bite me!”. The pop culture references in the narration is an element that adds originality to the writing. I really hope to see more of Mallory in the future and I really hope the author doesn’t leave us hanging like this. With the city of angels on fire and in the middle of an Apocalypse, no less.
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