Murder by Death

Only Ilona Andrews could make me like a book in spite of the science fiction setting.  Of course, she lured me in with a story that started as a traditional-ish paranormal tale involving magic and werewolves, and it all took place on good old Earth; it wasn't until this book that the series becomes firmly entrenched out in the universe with spaceships and aliens and nary a werewolf in site.  Sure, there are vampires but they really aren't very vampiric - token fangs and an obsession with rules and protocols, but all the other tropes are tossed out.

Yet in spite of all the deadly-dull-to-me intergalactic elements (and yes, my eyes glazed and glossed over all the space stuff), the tale has stuck with me in that way that Daesyn (I think that was the name of the planet) feels like a very specific place in my imagination, with it's own feel; extremely detailed as to layout and atmosphere.  It's a place I very much enjoyed obviously, since I catch myself looking forward to going back, only to remember I finished the book and now have to wait who-knows- how-long until the Andrews team published the next one.

I've always like Arland and was disappointed he didn't end up with the Innkeeper (whose name I can't remember - she doesn't play a role in this book), so I thoroughly enjoyed having this story centre on him and Maud.  The secondary characters, mostly Arland's family, contributed to the world building, and weren't merely paper constructs, though the antagonists of the story lost something with their lack of subtlety.  

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this story in spite of all the things I dislike on the surface and I actually find myself hoping the next one comes out sooner rather than later.

I read this one for a Halloween Bingo square - tentatively the Supernatural one.  I may swap things around in the future, but for now it's the best fit, as there are no shifters in this story.