A few days ago an ARC (advanced reader copy) of Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs arrived in the mail in time for a Christmas delight. Mrs. Briggs leads her readers, yet again, into the walker Mercedes Thompson's world, a modern Tri-Cities, Washington filled with diverse paranormal creatures, most especially werewolves, vampires, fae, and, of course, Mercy herself, a Native American coyote shape-shifter. Being low on the supernatural power scale Mercy has always tried to stay out of trouble, but being engaged to an Alpha werewolf makes that almost impossible. Her stubborn refusal to consign her friends to the status of prey has recently brought her to the attention of Marsilia, mistress of the local vampire seethe. Bone Crossed, the fourth installment of Mercy's story, deals with the consequences of her defiance of the things "that go bump in the night". While recovering from the horrific incidents in Iron Kissed, Mercy still finds the determination to help old friends and make new enemies. It is a joy to watch Mrs. Briggs weave Mercy's strength and loyalty, the devotion of her many varied friends, and the manipulation of plausible enemies into a phenomenal story filled with surprising twists and turns, and real life humor. Although dealing with matters begun in past books, a new reader can pick up Bone Crossed and be just as enamored with Mrs. Brigg's style as any long standing fan. Mercy's history is explained well, no info-dumps, and we find out just a little bit more about the almost extinct walker species, and, of course, the mysterious fae walking stick.
