by Patricia Briggs

ACE books, $24.95, 324 pages

Mercy Thompson, Coyote shifter, is looking forward to her 10-day honeymoon camping with her mate and new husband, Adam Hauptman. Things don’t go quite as planned when Mercy and Adam end up embroiled in a mystery involving multiple drowning in the river near their campground. As Mercy and Adam dig deeper, they find themselves in the crossfire between the fae, a group of local Native American shifters and a spirit who has taken over the river.

Patricia Briggs brings another delightful chronicle of the Mercy Thompson. The author shows a deft hand in developing Mercy as a character as she navigates her relationship with Adam and learns more about herself and her possible connection to Old Coyote, a mystical Native American shifter. Readers local to the Columbia Gorge and surrounding areas will take a special interest in the level of detail the author brings to the landmarks and to the local lore that permeates this story.  Fans of Mercy will not be disappointed in this sixth installment of the series.

Patricia Briggs will appear at Powell’s Books on March 8, 2011

Reviewed by Barbara Cothern