Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
Series: The Hollows #1
Published by HarperTorch on July 1st, 2004.
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchased
Buy Links: Amazon | B&N
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All the creatures of the night gather in “the Hollows” of Cincinnati, to hide, to prowl, to party… and to feed.

Vampires rule the darkness in a predator-eat-predator world rife with dangers beyond imagining – and it’s Rachel Morgan’s job to keep that world civilized.

A bounty hunter and witch with serious sex appeal and an attitude, she’ll bring ’em back alive, dead… or undead.

August has been all about clearing the TBR shelves for me, and DEAD WITCH WALKING by Kim Harrison was one that had me buying even more books. Whoops. The book has been collecting dust for years and nowThe Hollows series has become an eagerly anticipated adventure. I have since purchased the next two books in the series.

After years of dead-end assignments and feeling underappreciated, Rachel Morgan breaks her contract as an IS runner and decides to start her own independent runner service. Furious that Rachel took Ivy, his best runner, her former boss puts a hit out on the witch. Determined to shake her death mark, Rachel sets out to uncover evidence of councilman Trent Kalamack’s suspected drug operation.

The first novel in The Hollows series introduces readers to an entertaining cast of characters:

• Rachel Morgan, kick-ass earth witch and bounty hunter. She’s smart, sexy, and—as IS soon discovers—rather difficult to kill. She solves a  complex case while dodging assassination attempts at every turn.
• Ivy Tamwood is the last of her family’s living vampire bloodline and Rachel’s new wealthy business partner. She has an air of mystery about her, but so far I’ve learned she has a massive crush on Rachel, she’s been fasting from blood for three years, and she’s having a rough time adjusting to living with a human.
• Jenk’s is Rachel’s pixie backup and crime solving partner. The overly blunt honey addict is probably my favorite character of the bunch. He’s a tough as nails warrior, and takes his job as protector seriously. If I were on the run for my life and had to depend on one person, I’d choose Jenks.

Not only were the characters on point, so was the world building. The world of DEAD WITCH WALKING is one of alternate history and an urban fantasy masterpiece. The scientific community cracked the genetic code, replacing the space race of the ’60s with bioweaponry. The Cold War unleashed a virus which killed a fourth of the human population and outed the Inderland species—vampires, weres, pixies, etc. About any paranormal creature you can think of is a thing of reality.

DEAD WITCH WALKING takes place forty years after the Turn, where humans and Inderland creatures reside side-by-side and the government monitors them all. I loved the complexity of this world and how it all plays a part in Rachel’s rush to solve the mystery and save her life.

There is a minute romance between Rachel and Nick, ex-librarian and full human male she wound up rescuing on her adventures. I’m excited to see how their relationship plays out in the rest of the series.

DEAD WITCH WALKING was a riveting urban fantasy full of mystery and mystical intrigue. It left me craving more paranormal adventures with Rachel, Jenks, and Ivy. I cannot wait to what’s in store for the crew in THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UNDEAD.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2017 Goodreads Challenge
• 2017 Reading Challenge
• 2017 COYER Summer Reading List

About the Author

Kim Harrison, author of the New York Times #1 best selling Hollows series, was born in Detroit and lived most her life within an easy drive. She’s currently working on the Peri Reed Chronicles, and when not at her desk, is most likely to be found landscaping her new/old Victorian home, in the garden, or on the links.

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