"Supernatural fantasy"

Magiere, her half-elf partner Leesil and their dog Chap used to con ignorant villagers into believing their towns were infested with vampires and needed to hire them to destroy the evil doers for an exorbitant price. Their reputation grew and any time a vampire hunter was needed, Magiere and her crew were called in. After making enough money, she bought the Sea Lion Inn in the small town of Miska. Ironically they found a vampire nest there that Magiere and Leesil, with a little help from Chap, destroyed. From the fight, Magiere learns that she is a dhampire, the offspring of a human mother and a vampire father.

Their reputations reach the capital city of Bela where they are asked to destroy a vampire nest. Reluctantly Magiere accepts the job because her adopted town needs the money. When they arrive in Bela, they know that there is at nest of a number of vampires, one of which is an old enemy. Unknown to the to both teams is another vampire who pulls the strings of war between the groups.

Fans of Anita Blake will enjoy this novel and the series (see DHAMPIRE). The characters are cleverly drawn so that the several supernatural species that play key roles in the plot seem natural and real. Magiere is obstinate and self-sufficient yet vulnerable. Leesil is doing penance for his past transgressions, but his Elven half-brothers keep him under scrutiny because they do not trust him. Chap is an exceptionally intriguing character whose canine disguise allows him to manipulate Magiere. Supernatural fantasy readers will enjoy this action-packed strong tale because vampires, sorcerers, dhampires, elves, fey- canines, and other ilk seem real.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted December 17, 2003

Summary

On the heels of DHAMPIR, Barb and J.C. Hendee's acclaimed Fantasy debut, comes THIEF OF LIVES, the new novel featuring Magiere and Leesil, Slayers of the Undead.... Magiere the dhampir thinks that her nights of hunting vampires are over. After settling down in her newly adopted village of Miiska — now vampire-free, thanks to her and her half-elf partner, Leesil — she looks forward to quiet days tending to her tavern. But far away in the capital city of Bela, a prominent councilman's daughter has been found dead on her own doorstep... and all signs point to a vampire. Knowing that the battered and burned village of Miiska could use an infusion of cash, Bela's town council offers a generous bounty to the dhampir if she will slay their vampire. Magiere resists, wanting nothing more than to forget her past and ignore her half-vampire nature. Only Leesil can persuade Magiere to follow her destiny — before more innocent lives are claimed by darkness.