"Excellent romantic fantasy"
In a world in which most people believe that magic doesn't
exist, there remains a sub-culture of Talent thriving.
These folks use their powers in a way that keeps them
hidden from the unbelievers. Wren Valere is a Retriever,
a talent who locates things that have been missing for
people who do not want the police involved. She returns
the missing object to its owner for a fee negotiated by
her partner and agent Sergei Didier. Both Sergei and Wren
are loners who make a very good team professionally and
personally even though neither wants to admit their
feelings for one another. A cornerstone with a spell of protection has been stolen
from the Fronts building and the owner wants to get it
back. Wren and Sergei intend to retrieve it from the
collector who hired a rogue mage to steal the spell.
Before they can accomplish the deed, they also must deal
with a ghost that was freed when the spell was stolen. If
Sergei and Wren want to collect their fee, they have to
stop the runaway spirit, who is intent on revenge Fans of Laurell K. Hamilton, Tanya Huff and Mercedes
Lackey are going to love STAYING DEAD, a romantic fantasy
that stirs the senses and creates a story that is both
fulfilling and magical (no pun intended). Laura Anne
Gilman makes the reader believe that magic exists and
creatures of myth and legend inhabit the earth. It will
be very hard to wait for the next Retriever's novel coming
in the summer of 2005 because Laura Anne Gilman has cast
quite a spell on readers. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted August 9, 2004
Manhattan's nightlife just got weirder. . .
It starts as a simple job — but simple jobs, when you're
dealing with this magical world, often end up anything but.
As a Retriever, Wren Valere specializes in finding things
gone missing — and then bringing them back, no questions
asked. Normally her job is stimulating, challenging and
only a little bit dangerous. But every once in a while. . .
Case in point — a cornerstone containing a spell is stolen
and there's a magical complication. (Isn't there always?)
Wren's unique abilities aren't enough to lay this
particular case to rest, and so she turns to some friends:
a demon )minor), a mage who has lost her mind, and a few
others — including Sergei, her business partner (and maybe
a bit more?)
Sometimes what a woman has to do to get the job done is
enough to give even Wren nightmares. . .
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