A review by monadh
Fright Court by Mindy Klasky
4.0
After a string of very dark and intense books I was ready for a more lighthearted read and so I stumbled on [a:Mindy Klasky|145294|Mindy Klasky|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442457342p2/145294.jpg]’s superbly entertaining Fright Court.
Sarah Anderson has flitted from job to job until she finally starts work as a clerc at the Washington Night Court. Getting the filing and paperwork organized soothes her compulsive need for order. Things seem to be going well, that is, until she is attacked (and almost killed) by a witness and comes to realize that the Night Court serves a different kind clientele and that her boss, the chief of security, is a creature oft he night. Afraid of losing her job she agrees to let her boss, James, train her in self-defense. And as if her juggling her new job, her best friend Ally and her boss are not enough, there is also a reporter who wants to do a story on the Night Court. In order not to raise suspicison she agrees to let the reporter, Chris, trail her and as a result she soon finds herself torn between the two men while things at the court are heating up with a case involving an ancient evil.
The book blends the magical and mundane perfectly, giving us details of heroine’s work. I really liked how the organizing and research helped propel the story forward. The mystery was exciting and in turns also unexpected. The book starts out as ordinary, revealing the supernatural elements and creatures bit by bit, drawing the reader slowly into its magical realm, while the heroine is slowly coming into her power. The world-building is distinctive and the use of Washington as a backdrop believable. I know that the-heroine-torn-between-two-love-interests seems to have become somewhat of an Urban Fantasy cliché, but it is handled very deftly and convincingly here, especially as Sarah is trying to convince herself why she can’t start anything with either of the two, although she is drawn to both of them, though in different ways…
All in all a rather lighthearted read with an interesting mystery and very well crafted. I would give it a solid 4+ stars because it lacks that last bit of emotional intensity, but nevertheless exciting enough that I got invested in the characters and went on to order the second full-length novel in the series, [b:Law and Murder|33796034|Law and Murder (Fright Court, #2)|Mindy Klasky|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1483581386s/33796034.jpg|54690853].
Sarah Anderson has flitted from job to job until she finally starts work as a clerc at the Washington Night Court. Getting the filing and paperwork organized soothes her compulsive need for order. Things seem to be going well, that is, until she is attacked (and almost killed) by a witness and comes to realize that the Night Court serves a different kind clientele and that her boss, the chief of security, is a creature oft he night. Afraid of losing her job she agrees to let her boss, James, train her in self-defense. And as if her juggling her new job, her best friend Ally and her boss are not enough, there is also a reporter who wants to do a story on the Night Court. In order not to raise suspicison she agrees to let the reporter, Chris, trail her and as a result she soon finds herself torn between the two men while things at the court are heating up with a case involving an ancient evil.
The book blends the magical and mundane perfectly, giving us details of heroine’s work. I really liked how the organizing and research helped propel the story forward. The mystery was exciting and in turns also unexpected. The book starts out as ordinary, revealing the supernatural elements and creatures bit by bit, drawing the reader slowly into its magical realm, while the heroine is slowly coming into her power. The world-building is distinctive and the use of Washington as a backdrop believable. I know that the-heroine-torn-between-two-love-interests seems to have become somewhat of an Urban Fantasy cliché, but it is handled very deftly and convincingly here, especially as Sarah is trying to convince herself why she can’t start anything with either of the two, although she is drawn to both of them, though in different ways…
All in all a rather lighthearted read with an interesting mystery and very well crafted. I would give it a solid 4+ stars because it lacks that last bit of emotional intensity, but nevertheless exciting enough that I got invested in the characters and went on to order the second full-length novel in the series, [b:Law and Murder|33796034|Law and Murder (Fright Court, #2)|Mindy Klasky|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1483581386s/33796034.jpg|54690853].