Review: Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson #4)

"By day, Mercy is a car mechanic in the sprawling Tri-Cities of Eastern Washington. By night, she explores her preternatural side. As a shapeshifter with some unique talents, Mercy has often found herself having to maintain a tenuous harmony between the human and the not so human. This time she may get more than she bargaiend for.

Marsilia, the local Vampire Queen, has learned that Mercy crossed her by slaying a member of her clan--and she's out for blood. But since Mercy is protected from direct reprisal by the werewolf pack (and her close rlationship with its sexy Alpha), it won't be Mercy's blood Marsilia is after.

It'll be her friends."

Bone Crossed, by Patricia Briggs, is the fourth novel in the Mercy Thompson series. Mercy, a coyote shapeshifter, is learning to move on because she survived one of the darkest periods in her entire life: rape victim. Meanwhile, she receives an unexpected guest in her home. Stefan, a vampire friend who appears nearly shaken, drained and decomposed, needs blood fast. Fortunately, two alpha werewolves (Adam and Samuel) are with her to help him. Worse, Mercy discovers a huge magical bone-crossed painting on her garage store. It is a warning from Marsilia, the Vampire Queen in her area, that she is a traitor and they are watching her. When one member of Adam's pack nearly dies in an event instigated by the vampires, Mercy realizes her own friends are also targets.

Fearing for her safety, the werewolves perssuade her to leave the Tri-Cities and investigate a haunting in her best friend's house in Spokane, Oregon until they can resolve the local situation. A healthy Stefan agrees to protect her from the other vampires. What she did not expect is that an ancient vampire, known as the Monster, is responsible for the hauntings and terrors inflicted upon her friend's family. He is the most powerful vampire she has ever encountered. Can Mercy defeat the Monster and save her friends in the Tri-Cities?

I enjoyed this novel very much. Briggs is a very talented writer who can combine subplots and different supernatural characters smoothly. There is plenty of action, humor and suspense that keeps you wanting more. Like Harris, Briggs explores the supernatural world in depth: fae, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, and shapeshifters. Most importantly, I like the way Briggs explores Mercy's vulnerable side. Although she acts like a heroine, she also has feelings and thoughts too. She is a good person who thinks highly of her friends' well-being.

Since this novel was short (~300 pages), I finished it in four days. What surprised me was how Adam made her a member of the pack so quickly. Although I knew he wanted to protect her, this may cause more problems for her since she is not a werewolf. As his official mate, she will have to adjust to her new role in the pack. The next novel will actually discuss this ordeal for Mercy. Overall, I highly recommend this series. Good series with werewolves are hard to find these days.

Stay tuned for the fifth novel in the Mercy Thompson series, Silver Borne.