Mercy Thompson works as a Volkswagen mechanic in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State. Mercy is an expert mechanic that does restorations on the side, owns and runs her auto shop, and is its sole employee. Mercy keeps to herself, her cat Medea her primary companion. Yet Mercy’s life is not as simple as it seems (because, of course not). Mercy is a magical being known as a walker – she can shift from human form to a coyote at will. Mercy is the only one of her kind, but she is not the only supernatural being in this first novel of the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series by Patricia Briggs.

Despite her loner tendencies Mercy has connections in the four other supernatural groups of the novel: vampires (Mercy is helping vampire Stefan fix his Scooby-Doo mystery machine van), witches (witch Elizaveta enjoys switching up the strength of her Russian accent when certain moods strike her), fae (Mercy bought her auto shop from its previous owner and her teacher, Zee, who is a gremlin), and most of all werewolves, whom Mercy was raised with. The magical beings in the novel live among the human population, some hiding what they are and all attempting to maintain copacetic lives alongside humans. While the novel does contain many supernatural elements and characters, Briggs’ unfolding of the fantasy world she has built is easy to follow with basic concepts any regular fantasy reader or new fantasy reader alike can enjoy.

The plot of the novel is set in motion when Mercy agrees to let a lone teenage werewolf that wanders into her shop work part time. Mercy soon discovers that this werewolf, Mac, is a recently turned werewolf that does not know anything about being a werewolf, and is thus dangerous to himself and those around him. When Mac is confronted at Mercy’s shop by a mysterious werewolf and human from his past, Mercy learns that Mac has just escaped from being held captive and experimented on. The experiment objective: to create and perfect a serum that can immobilize werewolves. To help Mac and put a stop to these brutal experiments Mercy enlists the help of the local werewolf alpha, Adam, who also happens to be her neighbor.

Events unfold rapidly from here, the novel is not short on action or drama. Mercy throws herself into uncovering the group behind the dangerous serum, propelled by her kind nature and her status as the only walker . When Adam is attacked and his daughter is kidnapped by the group, Mercy is forced to turn to the werewolf pack from her past, the very one that raised her. Old friends (and romances) come back into Mercy’s life as she finds herself more and more entrenched in the mystery of the werewolf serum and its potential danger to all supernatural beings. With help from her magical friends Mercy intends to save Adam’s daughter, prevent any future harm to others, and stop the use of the serum – simple, right?

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. While it is fairly tame as far as its fantasy world and plot goes, that was one of the things I ended up enjoying most. The characters are funny and interesting and there are many aspects to the novel: fantasy, mystery, action, romance, and a consistent humorous undertone, which helped lighten the mood of the story. Mercy is a cool protagonist with unique magical abilities. She’s equal parts independent, capable, and tough while simultaneously being funny and compassionate. This is the type of series where the characters remain the same, but each novel is its own independent story. The latest and fourteenth book in the series was published this year. Briggs has written a cozy urban fantasy that is perfect for the upcoming fall season.

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Review written by Sarah Turner-Hill, Adult Programming Coordinator