Witch Hunt

Disclaimer: I received an eARC in exchange for a review.

Witch Hunt is the first in a new series by SM Reine. I have several of her other books but haven't gotten to them yet. I'm glad I decided to hit this book first. It features a male protangonist, which you don't see too often in urban fantasy settings. Cèsar Hawk's a witch working for a “secret” government society that helps keep the paranormal under wraps and patrolled. Right from the beginning of the book Reine sets us into the action and it never lets go from there. We're treated on a 2-hour romp (it took me only two hours to read this book) through Cèsar's life as he hunts down help in discovering a murder mystery that turns out to be a set up for a wider arc.

The world felt real and yet had great elements of the fantastic. Cèsar isn't just some guy who runs around thinking like a “cop” or with his genitals... he actually cares and has depth that comes out through the book. And it's a real fun read.

Bottom Line: Want a quick and fun read in the urban fantasy genre? Try this one out.

It was an okay urban fantasy mystery. A fast paced and easy read, but neither the writing nor the characters were anything to write home about. This is my first book by this author and it didn't feel like she had a really good grasp of writing from a male perspective. I had to keep reminding myself that Cesar was supposed to be some macho masculine guy - even with all the mentions of him making those super strength potions (or whatever they were called). Honestly he felt a bit Stephanie Plum-ish (I like Stephanie, but no guy who is supposed to do what Cesar does should feel like her). I did like Suzy and Domingo and even Isobel for the most part. Good supporting characters are a plus is helping me get through stories that are lacking something.

All in all, this made for good, mostly forgettable fluff. I'm already almost finished with the next book in the series, so it can't be all bad.

On a side note, the dust jack blurb is just odd. It makes it sound like the main plot of the book is Cesar trying to track done Isobel. Except that's not it at all. Maybe that would have been the better story. The main plot is finding out who killed the waitress and why.