Eh. It was okay. Jim Butcher does it better.

Too much self-centered attitude, you see, brings, you see, isolation. Result: loneliness, fear, anger. The extreme self-centered attitude is the source of suffering. – Dalai Lama

Cesar Hawke isn’t really much of a witch in the eyes of his coworkers at the Office of Preternatural Affairs. I mean, come on – the guy has massive sneezing attacks when he comes in contact with magic – nothing like a witch being allergic to magic. And he is a potions witch, not a pumped up spell slinger. Well, he ‘is’ pumped up with strength spells every morning, but that is neither here nor there – after all, being the new aspis for his boss, Director Fritz Friederling (and you really should read the previous book where he was awarded that dubious honour) he needs every leg up he can get.

It has been a really bad couple of months for Cesar, Fritz, and the OPA. And things are about to get a lot worse – especially for Cesar. Because his black-sheep brother, Domingo, is up to his old tricks again. And this time? Well, let’s just say death and destruction is once again raining down on Los Angeles – and Domingo is right in the middle of it. Cesar and his grandfather, Pop, tried to save Domingo in the old days. But this time? Well, this time there may be no saving him – or any of those who surround Domingo. Including his family.

Once again S.M. Reine has written a book of beauty and power that is both creative and interesting on many levels. Not only the paranormal writing level, but in her interest in and understanding of the lengths that family will go to in order to protect their members. Even when the member in question doesn’t really deserve their support.

There are convolutions on top of convolutions in this newest book of the Preternatural Affairs series (This is book 6, you can enjoy this one without reading the others, but the whole series is so enjoyable there is no reason not to read them all!)

Poor Cèsar. His old life was so Normal. Well, if you can call being a Witch employed by the Magical Violations Department of the Office of Preternatural Affairs ‘normal’. His day-to-day life consisted of getting warrants, performing arrests, putting the suspects on trial, and sendng guilty parties back to the Hell from whence they came – of course, with the travel forms filled out in triplicate. Hey, it was a job, right? And then, everything went to Hell. After finding a body in his bathtub in Witch Hunt, the first in the Preternatural Affairs series, Cèsar Hawke was suddenly on the run, desperate to find the real killer and clear his name. It wasn’t easy, and it definitely wasn’t fun . . . especially the whole “the Incubi now have a price on your head” part of the deal. Meh. After dealing with double dealing double agents (with really nasty tempers), vicious demons and various and sundry other nasties, a few Incubi shouldn’t be that big of a deal . . . should it?

Uh, well, maybe?

Now he is part of a special task force, made up of his old partner from Magical Violations, Agent Suzy Takeuchi, whose magical curses are only slightly less impressive than her verbal curses; Isobel Stonecrow, a necrocognitive who raises ghosts and speaks with the dead; and Fritz Friederling, the brains and money behind the task force. A very secretive and possibly illegal task force now based in Reno Nevada, away from the LA basin and the Incubi who are intent on taking Cèsar down for spoiling a very lucrative bit of fun for them. Ah well, can’t please everyone all the time.

Following up on an infernal energy event in Reno, Cèsar meets with a confidential informant, Connie, in an abandoned building, only to have Connie commit suicide right in front of him. Who could know that a demon would be so afraid of a simple daddy longlegs? I suppose when you are a Daimarachnid, a truly horrifying spider demon under your skin suit, and you have a lot to hide, it isn’t all that surprising that that simple daddy longlegs could have been a spy for the mother of all spider demons. Well, if there really is a mother of all spider demons out there somewhere!

Oy. Can things get any worse? Oh, yeah, baby. Much. Much. Worse. Walking nightmares are bad enough, but throw in a demon overlord and various and sundry goblins and goulies and monstrosities (Oh, My!) an abandoned mine filled with spiders the size of eight-legged ponies, zombies werewolves and ethereal ruins, and you have a recipe for many a sleepless night. Oh. And let’s not forget the new price on Cèsar’s head, courtesy of his bosses boss. Can just one thing go right for Cèsar? Just one?? He will take a tiny, small little thing. Really.

Cèsar’s life just gets more and more interesting, in a very Chinese May you live in interesting times sort of way. Many of the cast from Witch Hunt make repeat appearances in this new edition, along with several new characters whom I expect to see more of in the future. And there is at least one shock that I never even saw coming, something that may change Cèsar’s life even more. I look forward to Hotter Than Helltown, the next in the series. Hope you enjoy this series as much as I am enjoying it!

I received Silver Bullet from the author in exchange for a realistic review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cassandra "Cassie" Van Deene is a smart, artistic filmmaker who takes the Sundance Film Festival by storm. Ka-ching!! Her career is bright and shining and the world is her oyster. Well, for about five minutes. Then she meets Mitchel Thantos. Yep, he is gorgeous, rich, and rides a real white stallion. What is to dislike?ir

Weelllllll . . . how about if your brand new hubby is Plague? Yep, that Plague. Oh, man! Of course, she doesn't know she is married to Plague. Not at first. But when her security cameras pick up Mitchel turning to a deaths head figure on that same white stallion - on the apartment balcony at that - it is time to run, run quickly Padawan!! For when all the divorce court judges come down with horrific diseases, it takes a bit of cosmic ingenuity to keep away from the homicidal brothers of the Apocalypse long enough to exorcize her preternatural hubby.

Michael Angel is hysterical. He mixes mythology, modernity and comedy in an immensely enjoyable tale of whacked out, obsessively possessive immortals, other immortals who have actual day jobs (Circe works the Las Vegas strip) and a strong, funny heroine with tons of attitude and guts. When you are being chased around the West by War, Famine, Plague and Death, well, you really have to be rather gutsy, wouldn't you think?

And Gin Hammond does a kickin' job as the narrator! I will listen to this many more times than once . . . how cool is that?

Highly, highly recommended for fantastical humor!