Dirty Magic by Jaye WellsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this! It's Urban Fantasy, with more emphasis on the 'Urban.' Kate is a cop in a run-down city that has a drug problem (I mean magic potion problem). People are addicted to illegal potions that eventually alter you from the inside out - or kill you - and a new killer potion has hit the streets. Kate has insider knowledge from her past to help the FBI (I mean MEA) find out who put it there.
For much of the book, this is very much a police procedural. Kate is a cop who is constrained by procedures, and actually follows orders even when she doesn't want to. Well, mostly. I thought that was refreshing. Often you get these tough heroines who flaunt the rules because rules don't apply to them. I immediately respected Kate because she tried really hard to work within constraints. I liked her and her sense of honor, even though she's so blind and stubborn about magic. She is carrying around a boat load of guilt from her dirty potion-cooking days, and she has to deal with that mess during the investigation. I can't wait to see how she changes in the next book. There's definitely room for growth.
I also liked several of the supporting characters - this wasn't a one-person show. I'm looking forward to getting to know them all more. And hoping to see more potion cooking! Aside from the opening scene, magic only really makes an appearance in the last third of the book, which is the exact point at which I could no longer put it down. With some twists I didn't see coming and some nail-biting scenes, I was completely satisfied with the mystery-suspense aspect of this. Especially as solving the mystery revealed more complexity that only makes me hope the sequel lives up to my expectations.
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