Blood Moon by Catherine Lundoff
Publisher – Queen of Swords Press
Published – Out Now
Price – £3.64 Kindle eBook £11.88 paperback
The Return of the Menopausal Werewolves.
The Wolf's Point werewolf pack, born from the magic that calls small groups of middle-aged women to embrace their inner and outer wolves, has been protecting the town for generations. Now Becca Thornton and the Pack have their hands (and paws) full of all the trouble they can handle. Plus a bit extra. Pack member Erin Adams just found a dead body in the trunk of her car and confessed to murder. But no one's sure who the victim is and Erin can't remember what happened. Did Erin fall off the wagon and murder a former foe? She doesn't trust herself and Becca's beginning to have her doubts.
If that wasn't enough, Becca's ex-husband sold their old house and their new neighbors are clearly up to something. Can the Pack solve the mystery and clear Erin's name before the next full moon? Or do the town's new residents have other plans
NB – this book follows on from the excellent Silver Moon by Catherine Lundoff — Runalong The Shelves which I do recommend you read first and there are some mild spoilers
Always interesting to read a sequel to see where the series can go next. Can characters find happy ending? Are there new mysteries to solve or plot lines to finally be finished. Will a series have indeed legs? In Catherine Lundoff’s entertaining supernatural thriller Blood Moon we return to the small town of Wolf’s Point where a magic power chooses middle aged women to become werewolves and keep the land safe. This time a tale of murder, revenge and possible redemption awaits
Long-standing pack member Erin awaits to find a bloody body I her car’s trunk. She has no memory of the last few hours and fears she has reverted to alcoholism and had a black-out. She calls the police and is soon in a cell as the investigation progresses. Erin’s roommate and would-be lover Becca thinks a mistake has been made and works with the pack to uncover the truth. On top of which a strange couple move into Becca’s old house and set off Becca’s wolf senses. A mystery needs solving.
This is an enjoyable story allowing us to explore the dynamics of the Pack and expands the magic of what were-creatures exist. The mystery is intriguing and with supernatural powers has some dimensions that you won’t find in any average crime novel. Becca’s character is the most interesting and Lundoff has developed her with confidence and the ability to challenge her pack and still take risks. She is also just working out how she really feels about Erin and that emotional truth for me keeps the story interesting.
The supernatural story of Wolf’s Point is developed more too. Lundoff brings in new characters with different powers and we also find the elders of the Pack (all in a nursing home) who have their own stories to tell. It gives the series a bit more depth and expands the world; but this story still has more local stakes rather than world ending ones and to be honest that makes me care more. The one issue I had is there is a lot of running around at the halfway point seeking clues which often seems to spin the story around without moving it on all the time. Happily this soon regains focus and the finale is interesting and wraps up a certain villain’s arc neatly from the last book…. I also really like how Lundoff opens up who can be a werewolf in a very progressive way.
Blood Moon is a very fun read with an interesting mystery to solve; good characters to re-connect with and its refreshingly different from a lot of contemporary fantasy novels. Comfy chair, blanket, and a perfect tale for a winter night.
