Book Abstract and Review of Night Rising by Chris Marie Green

Stuntwoman, Dawn Madison is called to Los Angeles by Limpet & Associates to help find her missing father. Dawn's father had been working for Limpet as a private investigator when he had disappeared while working on a case. Dawn was somewhat estranged from her father, but wanted to find out what happened to him so she agrees to work with the investigative firm.

Dawn first meets Kiko, who is a struggling actor on the side and a psychic. He is able to read some thoughts and has premonitions, such as the one in which Dawn is the "key" to solving their current case and finding her father. The other associate is Breisi, who is a former actress, techno-geek, and her father's current lover. Joshua Limpet runs the firm and is otherwise know as "The Voice". Dawn never meets him in person, but does have some mental sexual encounters with this secretive character.

The case soon shows some paranormal characteristics as the firm is investigating the reappearance of the child actor, Robby Pennybaker, who died twenty-three years earlier. In a twist of fate, Robby had work with Eve Claremont, who was a huge starlet that also died soon after giving birth to a young daughter. That daughter is of course, Dawn.

As Dawn, Kiko, and Breisi go to visit Marla Pennybaker they are attacked by three monsters. The group manages to kill off two of their attackers, but one gets away. Dawn has now been given the first piece of evidence that a paranormal world exists with the normal world.

The reader is then taken to the Underground, a vampire utopia that exists underneath Los Angeles. We find out that the monsters that attacked Dawn and her friends are Guards, the lowest level vampires that not very intelligent and cannot change their form to hide as humans. There are also Groupies, who are vampires that can disguise themselves as humans and act as spies, food, and sexual toys for the upper level vampires. Elites are the top vampires who were originally humans who have paid to become pampered vampires. These vampires have stronger powers since they periodically get blood transfusions from the Master. The Master vampire is the leader of the Underground, with Sorin being the second in command. The Master's origins are not revealed in this book, but it is really Sorin who runs and protects the Underground on a daily basis. This vampire society also includes Human Servants who act as food and take care of things for the vampires in the city.

After Dawn and her friends clean up after the fight with the guards, they decided to stop at her father's favorite bar. There Dawn meets Matt Lonigan, who is a private eye investigating her father's disappearance also. He will not reveal who has hired him, but there is some sexual interest between the characters.

After leaving the bar Kiko helps Dawn with some mental exercises to help to keep the vampires from being able to control her mind. They then find out some disturbing information from Klara Monaghan, who used to work with Robby Pennybaker. His father had encouraged Robby to make sexual advances on his costars, directors, and producers in order to gain power in Hollywood.

Dawn decides to check out a lead to verify Klara's information at a bar that Robby used to frequent with his father. At this bar Dawn finds Lee Tomlinson, who is a Human Servant, and admits that Robby had been at the bar a few night ago. Before Dawn could continue the interview, some Groupies interrupt.

The next day Lee kills Klara to show his loyalty to the Underground and to ask for forgiveness for talking to Dawn. The vampires erase his memory and exile him from the Underground, but they realize that Limpet's investigation is putting their society in danger. Nathan, Robby's father, is also at the Underground where he is instructed to bring Robby back, who has escaped.

In the meantime Kiko picks up on some psychic vibes from a shirt of Frank's that Dawn is wearing. He is alive but in pain and thinks that he was only bait to get Dawn into town. Dawn is furious and confronts "The Voice". There they have an odd type of argument that ends up in a phantom type of sexual encounter.

Dawn and Kiko end up back at the bar where they have a run in with Robby, who is an Elite vampire. He is confused and still functioning as a twelve year old. He is afraid to go back to the Underground and shows resentment for what his father has done to him. He ends up lashing out at Kiko and breaking his back. Dawn finally repeals him with her mind and gets Kiko to a hospital.

During the rest of the action, Tamsin Greene, a major celebrity, kills herself on the Internet. This leads the reader to find out why some people rich people pay to be park of the Underground. Becoming an Elite not only gives you power, but in twenty years the organization has a way to alter your appearance so that you can stay young and regain your celebrity status. This way singers and actors do not have to worry about growing old and losing their audience.

Dawn had met a young starlet during her investigation, who turns out to be the "next Eva Claremont". She is not a large part of the story but the readers are left wondering if this is not really Dawn's mother in vampire form.

The climax of the books is when Dawn and Breisi are called to Marla Pennybaker's house. Robby is there tying to get in to see his mother, but she refuses him. Nathan shows up with some guards, but in the end he kills himself. Dawn also has to kill Robby, and the guards kidnap Marla.

We find out the Kiko will be alright after many months of rehab, but very few questions have been answered by the end of the book.

This book has your basic kick-butt heroine with a bunch of emotional issues, who has been thrown into the paranormal world. She is not nearly as strong of a character as Buffy, Anita Blake, or Elena Michaels. It is a reasonably entertaining read, although too many things were not explained well and left open for the next book. It will be interesting to see if the next book brings this world together a bit more cohesively, and if the main character will develop into a real heroine.