A Coyote Mechanic

Moon Called is the 8th novel by Patricia Briggs. The rest of her novels do not connect to this one in anyway and so far it is stand-alone novel (she has however been contracted for 4 more books for this series next due out in 2007). Moon Called is a werewolf novel, along the same lines as Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake series; Kim Harrison's Witch series; and Kelly Armstrong's werewolf series. Like those novels, this novel has a strong female character that has unusual powers that hangs out with monsters that are bigger and badder than she is, but somehow she manages to make it through whatever the situation is alive with most of her pride intact.

Background: This is another the fae or magical beings have always been among us and have now decided to reveal themselves novel. The vampires and the lesser of the magical have already done so, but not the really powerful fae or the werewolves. The werewolves are again situated into packs with an alpha leader each with their own territory (like any other werewolf novel I have ever read). Sort of like a monarchy (like wolf packs) but in this case there is an alpha leader (who is over 200 years old) over all the packs in the United States, he is called the Marrok. The main character in this book is a sassy young female called Mercedes or Mercy. She is not a werewolf, she is a walker or someone that can shape shift (its more of a magic thing--no extra strength or healing ability which is different that an were in that they have extraordinary strength and healing abilities) and her animal is a coyote. Her uncle's brother is a werewolf and since her mother didn't know what else to do with her (especially when she found a coyote pup in the crib one time instead of her daughter) she sent her to live with her uncle and the werewolves. She was sent away from the pack when she was teenager due to a romantic entanglement with one of the Marrok's sons. She now lives in Tri-city (eastern Washington state). She is a mechanic, fixes vampire's cars,or any thing foreign. She is known to the werewolf pack there (in fact she lives next to the alpha in that district, Adam) but tries to stay out of their business until it comes knocking at her door.

Plot: Mercy is working on a car one afternoon when trouble comes strolling through the door in the form of a newly made werewolf, Mac. In Chicago, he was turned into a werewolf and then caged so that drug trials could be done on him. He asks Mercy for a job, paid in cash,so no paper trail, since he needs money but doesn't want the people who caged him or his family to find him. Feeling sorry for Mac, but knowing full well what he is, she agrees. Thinking in a couple of days she will get Adam to help Mac and perhaps allowing him to join the pack there. Mac will need someone to help control him until he can control himself since he is a new werewolf. Only someone comes looking for Mac before Mercy can take him to Adam. Mercy and Mac manage to kill one of the intruders and run off the rest. Mercy calls Adam in to help clean up the mess and to take control of the injured and hungry Mac. Adam comes to the rescue and everything seems fine. Mercy goes home to a much-needed evening of rest. The next morning she wakes up to find Mac dead on her doorstep. She grabs a silver loaded gun and heads over to Adams to find out what went wrong. She finds that Jesse, Adams daughter is missing, and that Adam himself is close to death. Mercy throws Adam in her van along with Mac's dead body and drives to the Marrok's (it was his pack she was brought up in) because only the Marrok is strong enough to control Adam's beast until he is well. Will Adam survive and can they rescue his daughter? You will have to read the book to find out.

This book is rather short clocking in at just 288 pages, but it has just the right amount plot and character development. We find out a little bit about the characters past, but not too much to bog down the story. We know enough to care, but enough is left that we would be interested in a second novel. Action punctuates the werewolf politics enough so that we are not bored. The just enough of a romantic plot for us to appreciate it, but not let it get in the way. There is a moderate amount of violence and no sex (unlike the recent Hamilton novels which is heavy on violence and heavy on the sex). Which puts this novel more in the Kim Harrison category for me--although the werewolf plot itself reminds me of the Kelly Armstrong werewolf novels (although Armstrong's novels are more sexed laden as well). I did enjoy this novel. I liked Mercy as a main character. She is believable and approaches things with a very pragmatic outlook, and doesn't engage in violence unless she has to--more of what Anita Blake was in the beginning, before the sex and violence got out of control. There are lots of avenues to explore in future novels. I look forward to reading the next book in the series. It was a good, easy read with enough action to keep you going. So if you are looking for something to read until the new Laurell K Hamilton Novel comes out or the new Kim Harrison novel comes out, then you should pick up Moon Called and give it a try. This is also a good book to try if you like the supernatural genre but are tired of the over the top violence and sex that are found in many other books in this genre. Either way, you won't regret giving this book a whirl.