Blood Trail, Tanya Huff
The second book in the Vicky Nelson series introduces more supernatural beings — this time werewolves, although the lore isn’t 100% traditional. (For example, werewolves are born, not created; if you aren’t a werewolf, you won’t become one.) It deals again, and more directly, with the problems that occur for supernatural beings living in a human community. The plot itself is reasonably obvious, and the ingredients make the outcome obvious: the way they get there and the characters surrounding them are more important, really.
Ultimately, I find this a comfort read; not too heavy on substance, more representative of real life than you often find (i.e. with Vicky’s disability, Henry’s sexuality, etc), and easy to read. There are some meaty things here — Celluci’s relationship with Vicky, and how that shapes his relationship with Henry; Vicky’s insistence on being independent, her certainty about her own skills and instincts despite her disability; prejudice against people that aren’t like you — and even some questions about justice and how exactly it can be enforced in special situations the law doesn’t cover (e.g. if someone killed a werewolf in their wolf form, so it’s not apparent that it is murder). But it’s treated with a fairly light hand, which keeps it highly readable.
I do wish Celluci would get with the program and grow up, though.
