Book Review -- Dead on the Delta

Title: Dead on the Delta
Author: Stacey Jay
Genre: Urban fantasy
Pages: Paperback, 389
Published: 2011
Opening Lines: "Losing your lunch sucks. It sucks even more when you're not hungover."

So Much Danger. So Little Time . . .

"Once upon a time, fairies were the stuff of bedtime stories and sweet dreams. Then came the mutations, and the dre-ams became nightmares. Mosquito-size fairies now indulge their taste for human blood -- and for host humans, a fairy bite means insanity or death. Luckily, Annabelle Lee isn't most humans. The hard-drinking, smart-mouthed, bicylce-riding redhead is immune to fairy venom, and able to do the dirty word most humans can't. Including helping law enforcment -- and Cane Cooper, the bayou's sexiest detective -- collect evidence when a body is discovered outside the fairy-proof barricades of her Louisiana town.

"But Annabelle isn't equipped to deal with the murder of a six-ear-old girl or a former lover-turned-FBI snob taking an interest in the case. Suddenly her already bumpy relationship with Cane turns even rockier, and even the most trust-worthy friends become suspects. Annabelle's life is imploding: between relationship-drama, a heartbreaking murder investigation, Breeze-crazed drug runners, and a few too many rum and Cokes, Annabelle is a woman on the run -- from her past, toward her future, and into the arms of darkness waiting just for her . . ."

~ Jacket copy

Thoughts: Let's get the issues out of the way first. I think the editor should have taken a look at the book after it was typed. There were a few typos, missing words, etc. While it is annoying, it isn't a glaring issue. At times, I did need to go back and reread a sentence or two to make sure what was going one, but it didn't really distract from the story. Furthermore, when the FBI come into town and mention a serial killer, it kind of just drops when you figure out what is going on. I wished that had been wrapped up. I also didn't like the bombshell dropped at the end by Hitch. It felt a little too gimmicky. So, aside from some technical issues and loose ends, there wasn't too much that upset me about the book.

Okay, the good stuff! Annabelle is hilarious! Of course, I couldn't help thinking about Poe's poem while reading the book, and I wonder if it was intentionally (and why). Anyways, she is a snarky, smart-mouthed redhead who doesn't take shit from anyone. However, even though she doesn't have the greatest hygiene, cleanest mouth, etc., she truly cares about the people of her town. I felt that the shady happenings in the town went a long way to build, test, and temper her character. And, to me, there was a lot of character development and growth during the course of the book. While the drinking -- and presumably pill-popping -- is still and issue for her, at the end of the book, it was obvious that she was starting to grow up and settle into that role. Granted, it took her long enough ^_~

The whole premise of fairies not being this dainty, cute creatures was awesome. When I read the back of the book, I had flashbacks to Labyrinth and Hoggle spraying fairies instead of being bit by them. And, with that in mind, I enjoyed that Grace's obsession was with unicorns. It seems so commonplace now for little girls to spend their time dreaming of fairies. It definitely shows a culture shift.

The town was really fleshed out, which made it believable. The characters, even if they were fairly minor, went a long way to help give the town a real, homey feel to it.

The plot was well paced and novel had good forward movement. I found myself having a hard time putting the book down. This book had my laughing as well as holding by breath. I found myself pulling my hubby away from his computer just to read him hilarious lines out of it. As a debut to a new urban fantasy series, this definitely has risen to the challenge. I am really looking forward to the next in the series.


Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Currently: Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand by Carrie Vaughn
Current Pages: 18753
Current Progress:

52/50 books