Those Who Fight Monsters - Paranormal Book Review

Those Who Fight Monsters: Tales of Occult Detectives
Edited by Justin Gustainis
EDGE Science Fiction & Fantasy; 1st edition (March 1, 2011)

We can all sleep better knowing that in this new century there is an intrepid band of detectives who hunt down the occult monsters - demons, werewolves, vampires,etc -  that are out to get us.

Justin Gustainis has assembled an entertaining group of fourteen stories where the bad guys/gals/things never stand a chance. Many of the authors - including Gustainis - will be familiar to readers and so will many of their characters. Besides visiting old friends in new situations this terrific volume is a great introduction to writers and series you may have missed.



LITTLE BETTER THAN A BEAST
— A Marla Mason Story — by T. A. Pratt

Marla, chief sorcerer of Felport outwits a nasty, chauvinist sorcerer and saves the town from a hairy beast in this amusing tale.


DUSTED
— A Cosa Nostradamus Story — by Laura Anne Gilman

Daniel Hendrickson is a former cop with the NYPD and now works as a PI. He's half human and half fuan. His magical half comes in handy when a teenage girl is lured away by gnomes. Danny's a fast talking PI with a smart mouth and a caring nature which he would adamantly deny. He has his own book series.



THE DEMON YOU KNOW...
— A Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom Story — by Julie Kenner

Did you know that you can track your iphone or it's missing child owner thru the internet. It's especially helpful when a demon may be preparing to sacrifice your child and her friends.

Chronologically, this story falls between Deja Demon and
Demon Ex Machina —Julie Kenner


The Spirit of the Thing: A Nightside Story
by Simon R. Green

In the Nightside, that secret hidden heart of London, where it’s always the darkest part of the night and the dawn never comes, you can find some of the best and worst bars in the world.

John Taylor is a private eye who operates in the Nightside. This time he helps a ghost into the light and finds a way to avenge her murder.


HOLDING THE LINE
— A Jill Kismet Story — by Lilith Saintcrow

Jill (kick-butt heroine doesn't begin to describe this storm-troooper) is one of the brave few who hunt hell spawn. When another hunter calls for help she drops everything to save him.


DEFINING SHADOWS
— A Detective Jessi Hardin Story — by Carrie Vaughn

The bottom half of a body is found standing. The innards had been scooped out. Turns out this is a vampire story.and an excellent case for Jessi Hardin.


DEAL BREAKER
— A Quincey Morris Story — by Justin Gustainis

Quincey Morris, who is descended from the man who gave his life in the fight to destroy Count Dracula, is an occult investigator living in Austin, Texas.  Quincy comes to the aid of a man who made a pact with the devil.


SEE ME
— A Smoke and Shadows Story — by Tanya Huff

Tony Foster is second director on the vampire/detective TV show Darkest Night, He is also a practicing wizard. His magical senses discover a creature who may be behind several missing men in Vancover.

[Offshoot of the Vicki Nelson Blood series.]


SOUL STAINS
— A Vampire Babylon Story — Chris Marie Green

Not all the vampires of the Underground have been destroyed. Some, to their horror live on.

"Former Hollywood stuntwoman Dawn Madison is currently in retirement from vampire hunting and resides near San Diego. Kiko Daniels, who lives nearby, runs a paranormal detective agency with his partner, Natalia Petri."


UNDER THE HILL AND FAR AWAY
— A Black London Story — by Caitlin Kittredge

Petunia uses her detective skills in the best Hercule Poirot manner to find the killer of a Fae Prince.

"Petunia Caldecott is a former Detective Inspector with the Metropolitan Police, London. She graduated from London City College and currently resides in Whitechapel. Jack Winter is a mage and a pain in her arse, but he sometimes makes himself useful. He hails from Manchester, England."


 AN ACE IN THE HOLE
— A Sazi Story — by C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp

Werewolf Tony Giodone is on the case for Wolven, the law enforcement branch of the shapeshifting community known as the Sazi. This time some nasty snake shifters are after a mobster's stash.


HELL BOUND
— A Hell on Earth Story — Jackie Kessler

The succubus Jezebel is given what she thinks will be an easy soul stealing assignment. Not so fast Jesse.

Note: this story takes place before Hell’s Belles


IMPOSSIBLE LOVE
— A Piers Knight Story — by C.J. Henderson

A parent's love for a child proves stronger than any demon.

"Museum curator Piers Knight is a quiet fellow who likes good food, quiet evenings with a pot of tea and a good book, and being left alone by all the world. While usually well fed and well read, he rarely gets more that a week or two to himself before Fate, Destiny, or some other joker comes knocking at his door, bringing him all manner of bothers."


RUNNING WILD
— An Outcast Season Story — by Rachel Caine

The lure of the avatar almost destroys Cassie and Luis. Although I had heard of Caine's Warden series I had not read any and was not prepared for the lovely cadence of the writing.

Evil Ways - A Review

Evil Ways (Quincey Morris 2)
by Justin Gustainis. Solaris, 2009.

This fast paced adventure begins in April, 2003 as five men, under cover of the American assault on Baghdad, enter the Iraqi National Museum. Their goal is to obtain an ancient text kept in the depths of the museum inside a vault. Only one man survives this dangerous theft.

The action then switches to Istanbul where the ultra wealthy Walter Grobius awaits delivery of the treasure known as The Book of Shadows by Abdul Alhazred. Those who have read the works of horror writer H. P. Lovecraft will recognize Alhazred as the author of the fictional Necronomicon . Grobius's personal magician, Pardee, mentally follows the progress of The Book until it is ultimately delivered by the sole survivor of the Bagdad operation. This book of evil magic will be needed for a ritual to take place on Walpurgis Night - a time of weakness in the boundary between the living and the dead.

In order for the magic to work great sacrifice is needed. Occult detective Quincey Morris, has joined forces with FBI special agent Fenton to look into the brutal killings of children that have taken place in various parts of the country. It is clear from the victims' bodies that their organs were removed while they were still alive. Fenton, a man with an open mind, suspects a link to paranormal activity. He also knows the best detective for such occurrences is Morris. Now it is up to Morris and his partner white witch Libby Chastain to track down the killers and stop then before they can unleash unimaginable malevolence. Adding to their difficulties is the fact that white witches are being dispatched by the same nasty people. Libby has barely escaped with her life. Other Wiccans have not been so lucky.


The plot is much more complex than I can describe here, but trust me when I say there is never a dull moment. Not only is the story line involving but the each character, not just the main protagonists, are intriguing. This is the 2nd book in the series. Black Magic Woman (Quincey Morris, Book 1) being the first. Readers of Bram Stoker's Dracula (Literary Touchstone Edition)
will recognize the Quincey Morris name as belonging to one of the Count's foes. The detective in this series is a direct descendant. A vampire or two makes an appearance in Evil Ways but have little to do with the plot.

Internet Sites of Paranormal interest August 20, 2008

Nancy Holder writes about the world setting of her most recent book Son of the Shadows, book three in The Gifted series, on Harlequin's Paranormal Romance Blog






___________________________________________________


Bitten by Books has an interview with Jeaniene Frost author Halfway to the Grave (Avon, 2007).

"Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father – the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unlikely partnership."

Book two is One Foot in the Grave (Avon, 2008). Book three At Grave's End will be published by Avon on December 30, 2008.

_____________________________________________________________

Author Justin Gustainis wrote a guest blog on Paranormality about occult detectives. He says, "My first exposure to the “occult detective” genre (although nobody was calling it that back then) was in 1977, when I stumbled upon a made-for-TV movie called “Spectre.” It features a criminologist (played by Robert Culp) and his physician friend/assistant, who are called in to investigate a case of possible demonic possession in England...."

I remember that movie! I loved it! Gustainis is correct. Spectre was a great intro to the genre of paranormal mysteries. The screenplay was written by Star Trek genius Gene Roddenberry.

Gustainis wrote Black Magic Woman. (Solaris, 2008)
Book description: "Occult investigator Quincey Morris and his "consultant", white witch Libby Chastain, are hired to free a family from a deadly curse that appears to date back to the Salem witch trials. Fraught with danger, the trail finds them stalking the mysterious occult underworlds of Boston, San Francisco, New Orleans, and New York, searching out the root of the curse. After surviving a series of terrifying attempts on their lives, the two find themselves drawn inexorably towards Salem itself—the very heart of darkness."

Evil Ways, the second Quincey Morris Supernatural Investigation, will be published in January, 2009.

Most of you may remember the name Quincey Morris from Bram Stoker's Dracula. He was the Texan who died while tracking the Count to his castle. This Quincey is his great-great grandson.

__________________________________________________________


Internet radio has become a popular medium for a variety of topics including the paranormal. Darkness on the Edge of Town in one such station. The description below I lifted verbatim from their site.

Every Saturday and Sunday night, join hosts David Schrader and Tim Dennis as they lead you on a journey into the world of unexplained phenomena with their weekly program:
The Darkness On The Edge of Town.

Based in Minnesota and streaming all over the world, they cover every aspect of the paranormal: from ghosts to UFO activity, and more. Each week, they speak with experts in every field to bring you the latest and most up to date stories and dig deeper into classic and familiar tales and urban legends.

Darkness on The Edge of Town promises to deliver interesting and thought provoking topics each week. Each new show will be made available in its entirety to download so you can listen at your leisure.

___________________________________________________________

The Middleman Recap: The Fangs of Love Are Sharp, and Apparently Wooden, On the Middleman

I have not seen The Middleman: Fighting Evil So You Don't Have To. In fact I never heard of it until I came across this post. It runs on ABC Family. Recently, as the article will show, vampire puppets were featured. Now I need to check the schedule to see if there will be reruns. Below is an excerpt from the article. Click on the title above, in red, to read the whole enchilada.

"So on the off chance that you've somehow failed to see 'The Vampiric Puppet Lamentation' yet, there were two Lacey-related shocks. First, that she's been having some very impressively lit sex dreams starring Pip, the evil plagiarist son of the building owner whose property Wendy, Lacey and the others rent illegally. Actually, Pip is quite cute, despite being evil and idiotic.."