hgranger's review against another edition
3.0
Much better than book three. Joanne is growing into her powers and she is becoming much more like able as a protagonist as well. Pretty good storyline for this book too. Well done.
lynseyisreading's review against another edition
4.0
Another exciting, action-packed story from C. E. Murphy. I'd say overall I enjoyed it just as much as the previous one. It had a strong mystery plot once again and Joanne is getting increasingly better at handling her many different abilities when put to the test. Even without the help of her mentor, Coyote, who is still M.I.A.
I did have an issue with one small aspect of it though. My little niggle was that, in between this book and the last book, it seems Joanne has started a relationship of some kind with one of the secondary characters. This bothered me, not because of who the guy is- I like him just fine- and not because it's not the one we've been getting hints and clues about -I can wait. I am patient, like a spider- but because it happened IN BETWEEN books. I hate that! When you come to read the next book in a series only to find out that rather significant things have happened to your lead character in the weeks or months between stories that you don't get to "see". It just doesn't make sense to me to have something as important as a new love interest begin without us being privy to it. This led to me having to try and work out for myself how important he is to her- are they just "dating"? Are they in a sexual relationship? How much am I supposed to care about him? I still don't know the answer to these questions which I find annoying to the nth degree.
Anyway, I got over it. And on the plus side, it did at least serve as a warning to certain other parties that Joanne won't stay on the shelf forever!
The main plot this time revolved around the time of Halloween and had zombies! How cool is that? It also saw the reappearance of "The Hunt" from the first book as it's the time of year that they have to Ride, and that was enjoyable too.
I'm still enjoying the relationship Jo has with the adorable septuagenarian Gary, the cabbie. He's like the father-figure she no longer has. And even though there was obviously no progress on the Morrison-as-love-interest front because of the new guy, what was good was that he at least now has no choice but to believe in Joanne's shamanic abilities, as he definitely gets sufficient proof in this one!
I did have an issue with one small aspect of it though. My little niggle was that, in between this book and the last book, it seems Joanne has started a relationship of some kind with one of the secondary characters. This bothered me, not because of who the guy is- I like him just fine- and not because it's not the one we've been getting hints and clues about -I can wait. I am patient, like a spider- but because it happened IN BETWEEN books. I hate that! When you come to read the next book in a series only to find out that rather significant things have happened to your lead character in the weeks or months between stories that you don't get to "see". It just doesn't make sense to me to have something as important as a new love interest begin without us being privy to it. This led to me having to try and work out for myself how important he is to her- are they just "dating"? Are they in a sexual relationship? How much am I supposed to care about him? I still don't know the answer to these questions which I find annoying to the nth degree.
Anyway, I got over it. And on the plus side, it did at least serve as a warning to certain other parties that Joanne won't stay on the shelf forever!
The main plot this time revolved around the time of Halloween and had zombies! How cool is that? It also saw the reappearance of "The Hunt" from the first book as it's the time of year that they have to Ride, and that was enjoyable too.
I'm still enjoying the relationship Jo has with the adorable septuagenarian Gary, the cabbie. He's like the father-figure she no longer has. And even though there was obviously no progress on the Morrison-as-love-interest front because of the new guy, what was good was that he at least now has no choice but to believe in Joanne's shamanic abilities, as he definitely gets sufficient proof in this one!
feelingferal's review against another edition
3.0
This was not my favorite of the series. Zombies aren't my favorite trope in books. Film, yeah. Not books though. And I'm growing tired of times the author decides to move the plot ahead by way of Joanne being an idiot. Its getting better but that just means that the times it still happens stand out as particularly jarring and out of character.
colls's review against another edition
5.0
I've been reading this series for about a year now, this is the fourth. I'm normally not one for the supernatural, vampires and such, but I have enjoyed this series. It centers around Joanne Walker, who's a shaman but also a Seattle homicide detective. Before becoming a detective, she happily worked in the police department's motor pool. Perhaps my enjoyment comes from her love of cars? Anyway, this one has zombies.
She's written other series, which I plan to check out one of these days.
She's written other series, which I plan to check out one of these days.
bookstuff's review against another edition
4.0
I personally think this is the author's most fun series, and yet the hero's experiences bring the most insights into death and dying. This book features the Black Cauldron, and I was impressed at how Murphy describes it as having a seductive, inviting aura.
sewcialist_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
Possibly the best costume ever: Morrison in Miami Vice mode. Character building: just possibly the whole reason for this book.
rachelking's review against another edition
4.0
Normally I don't care for zombies in my fantasy literature - the ick factor is just too high for me. (I don't do horror movies, either.) This book is probably the first exception as Joanne disliked them as much as I do. I love that she now as a better sense of what she is doing with her shamanic abilities, and she has even studied a few things related to this so that she is better prepared for future needs. It seems to me that as Joanne better understands the mechanics of what she is doing, the better I, as the reader, can understand them, too.
At the beginning of the book Joanne is dating the mechanic she has nicknamed Thor. I really like the guy and how genuine and honest he is with her, but I feel sorry for him because I know that it is not him that Joanne really wants. She takes him for granted and does not give the relationship any real chance at surviving.
The mess with the cauldron is an interesting bit of folklore that ironically ties back to Ireland, where Joanne's mother comes from. I like also that it introduces some new characters, such as the medium Sonata, and brings back Suzanne Quinley from the first book. Suzanne has got some serious magic of her own, and the courage to use it wisely. This makes me wonder if the author couldn't give her a series of her own in the YA genre. My favorite part of the book is when Suzanne uses her future-seeing abilities and Joanne tunes in. Joanne gets to see all of her possible past, present, and future selves based on alternate choices she could have made throughout her life. This was absolutely fascinating for me because I am always wondering about the "what ifs" with the main characters of the books I read. How I wish more of the books I read would find a way to employ this tactic, heck I would not mind it in real life!
As for loose ends, there are two that really bug me. The first is the outcome of the annoying insurance adjuster, since he just seemed to fall of the radar at the end. The second is Captain Morrison and his ever-evolving relationship with Joanne. He plays a major part at the climax, but the reader does not get to see any sort of personal reaction on Morrison's behalf or his reaction to Joanne's new relationship status. I will just have to wait to see what happens in the next book, Demon Hunts (Walker Papers, Book 5).
At the beginning of the book Joanne is dating the mechanic she has nicknamed Thor. I really like the guy and how genuine and honest he is with her, but I feel sorry for him because I know that it is not him that Joanne really wants. She takes him for granted and does not give the relationship any real chance at surviving.
The mess with the cauldron is an interesting bit of folklore that ironically ties back to Ireland, where Joanne's mother comes from. I like also that it introduces some new characters, such as the medium Sonata, and brings back Suzanne Quinley from the first book. Suzanne has got some serious magic of her own, and the courage to use it wisely. This makes me wonder if the author couldn't give her a series of her own in the YA genre. My favorite part of the book is when Suzanne uses her future-seeing abilities and Joanne tunes in. Joanne gets to see all of her possible past, present, and future selves based on alternate choices she could have made throughout her life. This was absolutely fascinating for me because I am always wondering about the "what ifs" with the main characters of the books I read. How I wish more of the books I read would find a way to employ this tactic, heck I would not mind it in real life!
As for loose ends, there are two that really bug me. The first is the outcome of the annoying insurance adjuster, since he just seemed to fall of the radar at the end. The second is Captain Morrison and his ever-evolving relationship with Joanne. He plays a major part at the climax, but the reader does not get to see any sort of personal reaction on Morrison's behalf or his reaction to Joanne's new relationship status. I will just have to wait to see what happens in the next book, Demon Hunts (Walker Papers, Book 5).
quirkycatsfatstacks's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely loved it! I picked it up last night, saying I was only going to read a chapter or two, but I ended up finishing it all in one sitting. It has an excellent balance of plot and character development, creepy things occurring (I won't say what), and mayhem!
nwhyte's review against another edition
http://nhw.livejournal.com/1092954.html[return][return]I've described these books before as being slightly in the Buffy mode (and if you like one you'll probably like the other). One difference, though, is that Joanne is part of the normal system of authority, rather than revolting against it in the way that Buffy does. However, mystical powers and police procedure are not easy bedfellows, and a lot of the tension underlying the narrative comes from her (and to a lesser extent her colleagues) attempting to reconcile her two roles as shaman and detective. I think this book explores this interesting side of things rather more than its predecessors.[return][return]In Walking Dead, as apparently it is to be called, Joanne is called on to investigate the disappearance of an ancient cauldron, and soon finds herself dealing with the consequent undead zombies, calling on mystical and human (and half-human) allies to find the person responsible, while also dealing with her mildly messy personal life. As ever, both the mundane streets of Seattle and the supernatural forces spilling into them are vividly imagined, along with Joanne's more personal dilemmas. Fun.