Book 3), Every Which Way But Dead (The Hollows

"The mad have a grace all of their own."
Rachel Morgan

I was extremely excited to dig into this one after the massive ending of the second. As I wanted, it starts with Rachel and Algaliarept and their 'deal', which was a fascinating turnout. Setting the tone for the rest of the book was perfect. I was happy to get plenty of Al time, and thrown in with this was a new, intriguing character and back history.

In this book the pot is heating up about Ivy and Rachel's unconventional relationship, a new man in town who's wanting a piece of Cincinnati's pie, a new relationship forming that I have been wanting for several books now *yum*, and Rachel trying to get her life sorted out in the middle of all this. There's always a war erupting somewhere.

Character wise Nick is showing new sides and I found it very touching on Rachel's emotional struggles with all that. It holds a convincing realism that made me grow even closer to her as a character. Al has a lot of page time, which is excellent. Trent is here and in yummy form as he and Rachel are forced to work together again and have intriguing turnouts. Ivy is growing on me more and her relationship with Ivy definitely keeps me on my toes. We get to meet her father and sister and have a new character come into town to create minor irritants for Rachel. Ceri is an awesome addition and makes an impressive appearance and entrance.

Honestly the characters are so great in this series that you have to really think about it to even pick a top favorite out of the group.

Out of the first three books ( I love the first two ) this is my favorite of the beginning trilogy. It's incredible with emotions, actions, events, magic, fascination, betrayals, secrets uncovered - revealed - and hidden. The pacing and tension is strong, whether the scene is focusing on revelation and experience, or else outright action and eek moments.

As I've said before, the magic in this series is in-depth, inventive, and nifty. Harrison has a talent with characterization, dialogue, and slips humor in all the time without it feeling forced. It comes naturally with Rachel, but the book is also a serious one at the same time in a dark, gritty world.

The 'date' was fun and intense, and the beginning opens with such a strong bang that I'm both pleased and impressed that the book is able to follow it's lead without losing steam. Kim Harrison takes time to really dig deeper into existing relationships while there is no mystery this time, but still a lot at play and fascinating.

As with the other books, this one is not only incredible, it's even more so. The characters we love are here but even more so, and the additions of any new ones doesn't take away from the story at all or make it distracting. This one makes it easy to feel, read, and experience the magic The Hollows promises.

*contains MINOR series spoilers

I LOVE This series! Kim Harrison has created such an amazing and rich world, that is extremely easy to get lost into. Not to mention the characters that you can't help but fall in love with.

Rachel Morgan is a witch working as a runner, bounty hunter, for the I.S. {Inderland Services} in a world after the turn. The turn was when a breakout killed 2 thirds of the human race, all because of tomatoes. The Inderlanders, supernatural races, were imune and after the breakout they were also the majority. That's when they decided to come out of the closet.

Rachel is tired of doing menial jobs for the I.S., so along with her back up, the Pixie Jenks and the living Vamp Ivy, she quits her job and starts a private runner business. The thing is that the I.S. is not taking Rachel's quitting lightly, specially since she has taken one of their best runners with her, and now they are trying to get to permanently retire, into the grave.

Rachel Morgan is a kick-ass heroine, one of the best out there and her adventures are so much fun! Throughout the novels we get to meet an awesome cast of secondary characters that you can't help but love... Kisten, Matalina, Pierce, Trent, Quen, Ceri and so many more... Each book in the series is full of all-out action balanced out with a great sense of humor that has me laughing out loud many times.

Rachel is one of my favorite heroines ever and amongst the reasons I love her so much is that she is willing to over look the lines drawn by human and supernatural society and do what has to be done to keep her loved ones and herself alive, without ever crossing the lines of the own morals and without hurting anyone on purpose.

I think my biggest biff with the series however, was the death of one of my favorite characters ever about halfway through the series and I am still trying to cope with it. I do enjoy Rachel and Ivy's sexual tension, which is something I had never seen in an Urban Fantasy novel before and it does bring something new to the table, despite the fact that their "will they - won't they" tension can get on your nerves sometimes.

All in all, The Hollows is Urban Fantasy at its best and is a must read to any one that consider him/herself a fan of genre. If you haven't read it yet, get to it! If you have, you know what I'm talking about =D

Originally Posted at Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life

This is the third book in the Hollows series.This is the second time I have read this series and the second time around I like it a lot better! The first time I found it a little slow to begin with and as I read further it got me hooked! so if you get here and feel the same,stick with it! you won't regret it!

Rachel as usual finds herself in trouble and needing a way out!

Her boyfriend Nick leaves town and leaves Rachel not knowing what to think, but this also leaves room for her to get to know some aquantences a little better.

More drama with Jinks and Ivy, but they are just having growing pains I hope! jinks is very upset with rachel so much that he moves his whole family out and Ivy is so upset with her that she loses control and vamps out on Rachel!

Some new characters that I just love,Ceri and david. She is an Elf and he a Wolf! I see lots of excitment coming in the future!

We must not forget about Kistrn and Trent! More of Trents past is discovered and Rachel finds some more answers about her dad and a link to trent! Kisten makes a deal with rachel and they go on a date that ends a little unusual!

Slow start with this one,but explosive ending!

Jinks is by far my favorite character, but now I can say trent is growing on me and I think David shows promise!

Listened/Read for Fun (Audible/Library)
Overall Rating: 4.00
Story Rating: 4.25
Character Rating: 3.75

Audio Rating: 4.50 (Not part of the overall rating)

First Thought when Finished: Every Which Way but Dead by Kim Harrison would have been a 4.50 for me except for the men.

Quick Thoughts:I am loving Rachel, Jenks, and Ivy but the men really need to become a bit more worthy before I will claim total love with this series :) In fact, the romance (for lack of a better word) is the only "soft spot" for me. The action, mystery, and world-building are just over-the-wall awesome.

Audio Thoughts:

Narrated By Marguerite Gavin / Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins

Marguerite Gavin is a perfect match for this series. I am really enjoying her narration. I can't imagine anyone else doing it!

Part of the Read It, Rate It, File It, DONE! Reviews

This book is the best thus far in the series. You can tell it's starting the hit its stride. The characters are becoming more established and the lines between protagonists and antagonists are thinning a bit.

Rachel strikes a deal with Algaliarept, a demon, to testify against Piscary. To do it she'll have to become his familiar. From there she meets his old familiar, Ceri, who happens to be an elf. She turns out to be a very mysterious, interesting, and powerful character. Does Rachel want to make her existence known to Trent Kalamack?

Her relationship with Nick is strained from the second installment after she makes him her familiar. In the meantime, there's Kisten. Their chemistry from the end of the second book certainly doesn't go ignored here. All I have to say there is WOWZA!! Her scenes with Nick were pretty boring (he's human, what can he do?), so adding the vamp was a welcome change.

She ends up going to an event with Trent Kalamack, elf tycoon and brimstone dealer. No, they aren't chummy. Quen, Trent's head of security, cannot accompany him due to his vulnerability to his vamp scar, so he begs Rachel to go in his place. This gives the elves a bit more development and we learn more about Rachel's past and her father. While there's definitely some heat with Kisten, there is surprisingly a good deal of chemistry between her and the elf, too. He's got a few surprises of his own, but I found their adventure together quite fun. Man, I can't help but like the bad boys!

If that's your thing, you'll want to read this series.

The Hollows by Kim Harrison is definitely one of my favorite series of all time. Every Which Way But Dead is the third book in the series and is another example of the excellent writing of Kim Harrison. I think I'd enjoy reading her grocery list.

Rachel is in trouble. She's wrestling the demon Al to keep her freedom; trying to find her way in her relationship with Ivy, her roommate; getting hot under the collar for Kistan, the vampire; and arguing with her partner, Jenks. So, yah, everything's normal.

While the story is great, the genius as always in this series is the characters. Harrison writes characters that can pop off the page and go out to dinner with you. As long as it's not Piscary, the vampire kingpin.

You can read this book without reading the first two in the series, but I think it would be more enjoyable to start with the first book, Dead Witch Walking and read them in order. This series is a must read for paranormal/supernatural vampire, pixy, werewolf fans!

Nothing is ever boring for witch and bounty hunter Rachel Morgan. Which is a good thing, because that means nothing is ever boring in one of the Hollows books. As always, the characters and their relationships with Rachel are the real story here. But there is always conflict. In this installment, Rachel is dealing with the repercussions of her deal with the demon Al. She agreed to be his familiar, though she gets to retain her soul. She outsmarts him at the outset, even gaining a new ally in his old familiar Ceri. But Al's not giving up; he is determined to drag Rachel to his world and make her his slave. In the meantime, there is a new big bad in town, named Saladin. He is interfering with the current crime structure, which in turn, effects some of Rachel's shadier friends, like Kisten and Trent. They need her help to fight Saladin... And Rachel wouldn't be Rachel if she didn't end up right in the middle of all the mess.

Rachel's interpersonal relationships are changing. Her boyfriend Nick is edging out of her life. It's just too hard for him to be her familiar (whether she made him that way by accident or not.) His absence is hard on her. She finally opened herself to someone and was abandoned. But then, there is Kisten offering to fill the void and then some. This is the book where I fell in love with him. (Damn you, Kim Harrison for that. --We won't talk about why I wish I never had.)

Ivy is still around. Her presence weighs heavy as she continues pining for Rachel. I believe they really care for each other, but having it all mixed up with blood and sexuality is a tough pill for Rachel to swallow --and frankly, for me too. Trent is back; and here we finally see a ray of "humanity" in him. We learn what drives him and it's nice to see that he is not totally a monster. The undercurrent between him and Rachel is tangible and it's easy to see why so many fans want them together. New characters Ceri & David are also wonderful additions to Rachel's circle.

Even with everything going on, we're also getting backstory on Rachel, Trent, and their families. We're learning about the history of the elves and witches, and hints and what could be ahead for each race. This is a rich, complicated and wonderful book. And one any Hollows fan shouldn't miss. 4 1/2 stars.

WARNING** I am a Kim Harrison(aka Dawn Cook) fan! This review is biased! LOL**

THIS IS A GREAT SERIES! I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE!
KIM HARRISON IS THE BEST, YOU WILL BE HOOKED WHEN YOU READ JUST ONE BOOK!
SHE WILL ALWAYS LEAVE YOU WANTING MORE...AND WAITING FOR THE NEXT IN THE SERIES!

THE ORDER OF KIM HARRISON'S RACHEL MORGAN/HOLLOWS SERIES:
#1. Dead Witch Walking
#2. The Good, The Bad, and the Undead
#3. Every Which Way But Dead
#4. A Fistful of Charms
#5. For A Few Demons More
#6. The Outlaw Demon Wails
#7. White Witch, Black Curse
#8. Black Magic Sanction
#9. Pale Demon
#10. A Perfect Blood
#11. Ever After (scheduled for a January 22, 2013 release)
***the series ends at book 13***

#1. The Hollows Insider is the Hollows world guide

Anthologies(short stories)
#1. Undead in The Garden of Good and Evil -Ivy's POV story "Dates From Hell"
#2. Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel -Robbie/Rachel/Pierce in "Holidays are Hell"
#3. Dirty Magic -Mia's short story in "Hotter than Hell"
#4. Ley Line Drifter -Bis and Jenks short story in "Unbound"
#5. Bespelled -Big Al and Ceri in Demons
#6. "Into the Woods" -528 pages between published and never before published works.

Hollows Graphic Novels include:
#1. Blood Work
#2. Blood Crime

You will not be disappointed!
Kim Harrison's characters come alive, you will laugh and cry with them!!
I re-read the entire series every new release and LOVE every last one!!!

YOU TOO WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH KIM HARRISON, RACHEL, IVY, JENKS AND THE REST OF KIM HARRISON'S CHARACTERS.

I've quickly fallen in love with the Hollows series, and am already trying to get my hands on book four. Every Which Way But Dead picks up a few months after book two ended, with Rachel stuck as a demon's familiar and a new, powerful threat in town ready to take over while Piscary's in jail.

A few new characters were introduced in this book, both allies and enemies, and they were all as equally brilliant as the returning faces I was happy to see. And, a few people who mildly annoyed me from before had the good sense to stay out of the plot, making it even better. I finished the book in a few days, because each chapter flowed seamlessly into the next, and kept me rooting for Rachel and wanting to know where the plot would twist next. Because everything I didn't expect seemed to happen.

I like it when a book can take me by surprise, still make sense, and really stick with me. Some books I read, the characters' names slip out of my head as soon as I set it down. Not so for this series, and I don't see it happening anytime soon. I don't want to anticipate too much and disappoint myself, but I think I'll definitely read these books through to the end. Which I hope is a long time coming.

SUPERNATURALLY THRILLING. 5/5 stars

Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison is the third installment of the Rachel Morgan (The Hollows) saga. Let me start off by saying I LOVE THIS BOOK. I love this series. I love this author. Alright, now that I'm done with that- on with my review.

Rachel Morgan is a sassy, kick-ass witch and she has done something silly to put away one of the biggest, baddest vampires out there- She made a deal with a demon. So you can forget about broomsticks and pull out some lucky charms because she's gonna need them.

Piscary, the big bad vampire that rules The Hollows has finally been convicted of some heinous crimes thanks to Rachel. That's right, Rachel promised to be a demon's familiar if he testified against Piscary. It worked. But now it is Rachel's turn to hold up her end of the bargain. Can she weasel out of being the familiar of a demon, escape the red tinged ever after AND keep her soul intact?

In the process of becoming Algaliarept's familiar she releases the previous familiar, Ceri, from a grim fate. Rachel is now faced with escaping Al's grasp and keeping Ceri from Mr. Kalamack... Ceri is a great character, she's beautiful, smart and learns to stand her own pretty quickly. I found myself craving to know more about her- I mean, come on, she was a demon's familiar for 1000 years! I hope we get more information on her in the books to come. She is simply fascinating.

Jenks, my beloved pixie, did not play a big part in this book. I was sad about this- he's an awesome character and integral part to my Hollows experience! I can always use more Jenks and less Ivy. Anyway, he finds out that Rachel knows what type of creature Trent Kalamack is but didn't trust him with the information. His ego and trust in Rachel is bruised and he takes his family and moves out of the church. This was only okay with me because another fun character was introduced- David Hue. David Hue is a lone werewolf and quickly becomes a close, trusted friend. I'm hoping that he becomes a big part of Rachel's story. I love you, David Hue. I love you, too, Kim Harrison for creating wonderful supporting characters!

Why am I so enamored with the characters in The Hollows!? I either absolutely love them or hate them. (I hate Ivy, Rachel's roommate. She annoys the CRAP out of me. However she was much less annoying in this book than in the previous two.) I'm not saying much about Rachel's man, Nick. He's boring and she has moved on. On to Kisten. Oh, Kisten. For you paranormal romance lovers- Chapter 21 is for you. It's delicious. Steamy and delicious!

This is one of my favorite series and I've only read 3 of the books so far. I can't wait to keep going. Kick-ass fight scene? Check! Sarcastic banter? Check! If you love action, magic, humor and brilliant creatures- read this book. Kim Harrison brings all that and more to the table in magnificent, magical levels.

This series has a full head of steam and it just isn't letting up. I'm a little late to the party in that there's a bunch left to read yet, but I'm officially addicted to the universe Kim Harrison has crafted.

As far as the plot is concerned. That's difficult to nail down. It's not that there's so much of a main plot as there's many plots and side stories going on all at once but each and every one is fun and promises interesting things to come. So rather than call it a 'plot', I find it more of 'a few days in the life of Rachael Morgan'

In the absence of Piscary's presence, there's a shifting of power in the Hollows' underworld. There's a new player in town and he wants to take over the territory. How does this lead to Rachael? Ivy, her friend and roommate is Piscary's scion. She doesn't want the power or the responsibility so Kisten is back, acting as Piscary's stand in. At this point anything involving Ivy involves Rachael so she's smack dab in the middle of it.

Trent Kalamack rears his manipulative head once again as he's also embroiled in the turmoil of Hollows criminal underworld. Once again, how does this involve Rachael? Who better to run security for Trent during his meet with the new power in town than one of the best runners Cincinnati has to offer?

In the midst of all those goings on, Big Al is (pardon the pun) hellbent on dragging Rachael down into the ever after with him.

And during the course of all of THAT, Rachael's love life is thrown a curve ball so she has her own personal issues to deal with. Rachael is a busy little witch to be sure.

Old faces return, some are absent and some new and interesting characters take their places. What I really enjoy about these books (and I've said it before) is even the 'normal' day to day things are fun to read. In fact, they're as fun to read as any of the major or minor plot lines. I also love the way Harrison handles adult themes. She can write sexy material without being blatantly sexual. She can write interesting love scenes with a purpose that aren't there just to shock a reader or keep them titillated or being blatantly pornographic. That's something a long standing series in the same genre could take a few pointers from. Of course I won't name any names ;)

Overall, Rachael is just a great character to read. I see some reviews and critique blurbs state that it's similar to the Anita Blake series, and in some ways it is. I guess it's unavoidable being an urban fantasy dealing with some of the same themes and iconic fantasy characters (weres, vamps, witches, etc). So I see some similarities while reading this but I honestly find that this is much more enjoyable in my opinion. It remains fun yet serious and Rachael is a flawed yet well meaning character who's strong, funny, sexy and vulnerable and through it all she remains completely LIKABLE. It's funny when a witch comes off more human than some human characters I've read over the years.

A++ on this book and the series as a whole!

They say that one learns from their mistakes. Perhaps true for some people, but maybe not so for others. Rachel Morgan belongs to the latter category. While she isn't without charms - indeed, there are many things to like about her - her biggest weakness is her impulsiveness. This trait has landed her in many troubles that after months since quitting her job with Inderland Security, she is practically a dead witch walking barely escaping unscathed from one attack after another. Oh Rachel, when will you learn that the easiest route is not usually the best?

After nailing Cincinnati's master vampire Piscary, Rachel finds herself being hunted down by the demon Algaliarept, who is both freaky and comical at the same time. I had such fun reading Rachel battle it out with this demon, each one trying to outsmart the other to get what they want. Both are worthy adversary and it becomes a game of cat and mouse as Rachel does her utmost to survive and keep her soul at the same time. As if dealing with `Big Al' weren't enough. Her friend and business partner Ivy is becoming more vocal about her desire to take their relationship to the next level, a mysterious Were is tailing her every move, Jenks is in a major snit over some trust issue, and it looks like a case of `out with the old and in with the new' in the romance area. Frankly, I have never trusted the `old' so bring in the `new' beautifully wrapped in tight leather. Whooee!! I love Kisten!

The first book was fun, the second was delightful but the third was a real charm. EVERY WHICH WAY BUT DEAD is a stunning urban fantasy, filled with fast-paced action, suspense and never ending mystery. Kim Harrison continues to tantalize as we learn more about Rachel's past and the truth about her father's relationship with Trent's father. I am now fully absorbed in the complex world that Harrison has built. Her otherworldly creatures have just gotten more fascinating and look to continue to do so as this series continues.

This is the third installment of the Hollows series and a very strong addition to the storyline of Rachel Morgan, Witch and Independent Runner. If you have enjoyed the first two books than this is a must read.

The plot is more complex than I can easily go into in a brief review but I feel that this book serves more as a way to continue the development of the myriad characters that Kim Harrison has put into Rachel's world rather than one specific plotline that we get to follow from beginning to end. Instead, we are given quite a few smaller plots that weave together nicely through out the book.

The story meanders a bit for many of its pages, until Rachel really gets down to business with a new power player in town by the name of Saladin. He seems to be in conflict with everyone, including Trent Kalamack and Kisten, who is still posing as Piscary's Scion. Even Big Al, the demon who wants to drag Rachel into the ever after appears to be involved with this mysterious new threat.

Of course there is plenty of other very intriguing subplots, including Rachel's ever more complex love life, relationships with her closest friends, and her worst enemies.

Kim Harrison does a good job of keeping everything in check here. While the story had the potential to run off the rails with as much as was going on, she pulls things together nicely while still giving the reader plenty to look forward to in future volumes with the addition of some new characters like Ceri and in particular, Newt.

I have enjoyed the maturation of Rachel throughout the first three books of the series. I am sure her character will continue to grow stronger although I hope she never loses the touch of vulnerability that makes her so much fun to read about.

This is the third book in the series following Rachel Morgan, the white witch whose life seems to lurch from one disaster to the next. Although this book sort-of works on its own there are a lot of back-references to the previous two books ("Dead Witch Walking" and "The Good, The Bad And The Undead") and I think it's probably best to read them in order. There are some spoilers for the previous books in the review below, so beware!

At the end of the last book Rachel had overcome the master vampire Piscary (with the help of Kisten his former scion) although with a lot of trouble on the way - she had accidentally made her boyfriend Nick her familiar and had got more involved with the demon, Algaliarept, plus her roommate Ivy had rediscovered her taste for blood. The events in "Every Which Way But Dead" take place three months after the end of the previous book and it seems that Rachel's life is changing again. Boyfriend Nick Sparagmos has become rather elusive - Jenks thinks it's all over. And then Kisten the vampire appears on the scene again and Rachel wonders if she can trust him - after all, he did try to help her defeat Piscary. Plus Ivy's hunting of Rachel continues and Ivy's link to Piscary isn't helping. And Algaliarept wants to collect on the deal she made with him three months ago - which probably means the loss of her soul.

This book felt to me like Kim Harrison was really hitting her stride in writing. Although the first two books were really good reads this one was definitely better. There was actually less relentless action in it and much more time was spent with the characters - Rachel, Ivy and Kisten mainly. I was very glad that Rachel was rid of the drippy and wet Nick and tumbled into a fling with the phwoar-tastic Kisten. The background plot of Trent Kalamack and his doings continued, of course, with a little local power struggle between Piscary's lot and a newcomer on the scene, but the main action was about Rachel and her tangled life and her ever-growing link with Algaliarept and attempts to keep out of his hands. Jenks and his family are in the story, of course, as light relief and I love their interactions; this book was a bit more steamy than the previous two and there was more focus on the relationship between Ivy and Rachel.

Overall this was another really good read from Kim Harrison. Less spells, more character, and I felt that was a definite improvement in direction and made for a more enjoyable and meaty book.

I'm really starting to like this series a lot and I'll be curious to see where things end up. Many long-standing questions and conflicts are settled in this book, but an equal number of unresolved or new issues are introduced!

I love some of the characters and how Harrison develops them, most notably Jenks and Ivy. I struggled with the first book, (Dead Witch Walking), because it kind of starts in the middle and I was lost and I almost quit it entirely but something kicked in and I kept trudging along and it got much better.

In this volume Rachel Morgan forges many relationships that will no doubt lead to interesting plot lines. There is ample foundation for Harrison's fertile imagination and seemingly no end to the trouble this red-headed witch can get into. While these books are not "great literature" or ground-breaking, they are at once very enjoyable and certainly in the top 5% of the hundreds of books I've read in this genre.

Rachel Morgan is a top contender in the tough-chick, detective/bounty hunter, preternatural thriller in an alternate universe genre. Red-headed Rachel is an appealing hero, a witch who loves the thrill of danger and can kick monster butt. Her loyal fellow business partners, the vampire Ivy and the pixy Jenks, are fascinating co-conspirators in Rachel's adventures.

This third book of the series immediately starts the action with Rachel negotiating her familiar status with the demon Algaliarept, "Big Al", and in the process freeing the demon's current familiar, Ceri, adept in demon magic and a formidable new ally for Rachel in her struggle to avoid being dragged into slavery by Big Al.

Rachel's understanding of vampires is growing along with her relationship with sexy, leather clad Kisten--who is there to console her when she is abandoned by former boyfriend Nick. Rachel discovers more about Trent Kalamack's involvement with illegal medical research and inadvertently gets in the crossfire in a gang drug war.

This series gets better and better. Harrison has built a believable fantasy world where humans live side by side with supernatural characters. Learning about the world of witches, vampires, werewolves and pixies is interesting and fun, juxtaposed with thrilling adventures. The tone of the book is humorous and lively. Sexuality is primarily implied rather than explicit (a relief if you are traumatized by the torrid sexual antics of another character in this genre).

It is best to start with the first book, Dead Witch Walking and go through the series in order--the relationships and the lore of the alternate universe build over each book and it is much more enjoyable to be in on it from the beginning!

I think I have fallen in love with Harrison's Hollows books. The characters are so colorful and real, and they have good depth and energy. And nothing has changed in this, her third book of the series.

It was a little slow and not much happened. It seemed that this one developed the plot for a future book and the series, but didn't really go too much in to a heavy plot for itself. I enjoyed the story none the less. We finally got to see Ivy in action, although not that much and it was brief at that, so I was happy. The Elves begin to play a larger role, and we meet another Were, which is developed some. All this adds depth to the world she is creating, expanding on Demons, Witches, Weres, Elves, Pixies and Vampires in order to expand the world and books/plots that she is creating.

It was a little funny though. You read the cover and it says "Great sex..." and you think, huh? Because in the book itself, 500 pages long, there is only one sex scene and it is only roughly 10 pages long. So there isn't much going in that direction, but it seems they are trying to bring in the romance readers, since the quote was from a romance writer.

That being said, I loved this book, though not as action packed as the first two, but great none the less. I would recommend.

4.5 stars.

Ms. Harrison's books never let you down! While we'll occasionally put up with a book that doesn't quite live up to our estimates from a favorite author, all 3 books in the Rachel Morgan saga have been edge of your seat, bite your fingernails even though your laughing out loud ( be careful you don't choke), root for the severe underdog page turners. If you haven't read them yet I must ask - Why the heck not?!

7 months after being a dead witch walking when she sneakily used a leprechaun and the help of her two best buddies, Ivy the living vampire and Jenks the jovial pixy, to leave the I. S. and survive...and 3 months after finding that Ivy really staged the whole thing and having to bludgeon Piscary, the head scary homicidal maniac vamp, into submission with the aid of Big Al the demon whom she owes way to many favors to...

Rachel has to submit to becoming Big Al's familliar...or does she? Nick her accidental familliar, once rat boyfriend may have been more of a rat then she thought. Oh, and never mind the werewolf who's stalking her and that silly incident about eating the wishing fish...And is she really going out on a date with Kisten And protecting Trents but?!

Don't miss this! It's worth every penny!

I like Rachel Mariana Morgan. Really, I do--even though she consistently makes bad, bad choices. But in this book, the author seems to lose sight of what makes Rachel interesting: she's a tough, supernatural private investigator in an alternative urban universe with a number of interesting species for company. Alas, although Rachel is ostensibly still working with her partners Jenks and Ivy, and dealing with backlash from the situations in the previous book, far too much of this book centers around how mopey even supernatural characters can be, and we're treated to more "sexy vampire" pages than I can really stand from anyone but Charlaine Harris. The parts of this book that are about Rachel doing her job and introducing new species are terrific, but the endless self-examining whininess needs to end.

Spoiler:

I had hoped Rachel would be intelligent enough to realize that when the latest sexy vampire puts a bomb onto a crowded boat, he knows that it might go off and kill everyone on board, even if he calls in a warning. In the real world, that's felony murder. Condoning it and going to bed with the guy afterwards, and blaming the results on someone else? Please. A pretty big part of me felt she deserved any bad thing that happened to her after that.

Rachel made some tough decisions in book two which lead to her putting Piscary, Cincinnati's master vampire, behind bars. However, she had to make a deal with a demon in the process. Rachel spends most of book three trying to evade the demon Al. She is getting more into dealing with demons but doesn't want to admit it. You definitely need to read these books in order as they won't make any sense if you don't. This series is fun and enjoyable but not as good as the Sookie Stackhouse books.

Just One Gripe:
I'm tired of hearing about Ivy's vampire phermones!

The Best Thing About This Book:
Rachel gets Ceri free and Ceri becomes a central character in the series.

Another success for Harrison, and another turn of events in the plot that caught me by suprise. I was truly suprised by Nicks actions (or lack of action for that matter) and the complecations Nick and Rachel's relationship added to the plot. What is most interesting about this addition to the series is that the story is not so much a supernatural "solve the case, get the bad guy" as the first two books. The first two books established the characters so well that I was hardly disappointed at the extra time devoted to the relationships between the characters. Lee and Big Al provide plenty of villian drauma, but then again, Rachel provides plenty of drama herself, as she manages to learn even more about her Dad, and Trent. I am still sticking to my assumption that Trent is not as bad as he first appeared to be. As this book is part of a series, I would recommend reading the other two first, the blips for first time readers probably won't do enough to fully comprehend the relationships of this book. My only complaint with this series is Harrison's introduction of new characters to each addition to the series. Her characters are great, however, few seem to reappear from novel to novel, and I feel that this leaves some loose ends. I won't be too quick to judge, though, as this is only her third in the series, and she may bring back some of the secondary characters that she introduced to us earlier. Can't wait for more of the Hollows.

I wandered over to the Kim Harrison universe after becoming disillusioned, like many other readers, with Laurell K. Hamilton's stubborn addiction to making her female leads sleep with anything walking upright on two legs. I've enjoyed this series so far and find this installment to be more consistent in character development - Rachel is still a survivor and we now know why, but is still slightly addicted to danger; Ivy is still conflicted but we understand to a greater extent as to why she continues to stick to Rachel; and we find out what makes Trent Kalamack tick.

But it is these latter two characters and Rachel's schizophrenic relationship with them that has me knocking off a star in my review. Harrison would have us believe the Rachel can rationalize Ivy's and Kisten's kills but Trent's actions send her into a morally righteous rage. Huh? And Rachel continues to ying-yang Ivy around emotionally but thankfully Harrison introduces a potential solution to that fast tiring subplot. Frankly, I'm biased - I think Ivy and Trent are the most interesting characters in the series and want them front-and-center in every book.

I like this series and look forward to the next installment. And here's hoping Trent and Ceri hook up and start wreaking some elf havoc!!

Kim Harrison is probably the most stylish of the new breed of writers who have updated supernatural undead creatures with ultra-modern flash (think Hamilton, Banks, and the like). The lead witch of this book series, Rachel Morgan, is a great character, with realistic twenty-something angst on top of her complex inner witchness. Harrison's characters are both fantastic and believable, and she deals with the latest in supernatural and occult fads in new-fangled "horror" writing (though it's not particularly scary). However, Harrison needs to really tighten up her writing style. This book is way longer than it needs to be, with an intriguing but very slow-moving plotline slogging along beneath lengthy waves of adolescent dialogue and soap opera-style character interactions. Meanwhile, supporting characters appear and disappear in a very uneven fashion, and various multiple subplots get way too much time and detract badly from the main story of Rachel's dealings with the demon Algaliarept and the vampire Piscary. The final showdown that is supposed to be this novel's climax is spread out so thinly that you might think you're merely witnessing the wrap-up of yet another subplot. Kim Harrison is capable of a sexy and bodacious story, but I'll wait until she comes up with something more compact and focused. [~doomsdayer520~]

There's something about reading all about inter-species mingling that warms me up :) There was a lot going on in this book and I felt like each scene melded into the next rather nicely. I forgot how much I love Harrison's writing and how alive she makes each character!

In this book Rachel Morgan strikes a deal with the devil. To get the demon, Algaliarept, to testify at the trial of vampire Piscary she agrees to be Algaliarept familiar and share her aura. Rachel is certain she can maintain control, because she can keeping her soul. As she changes places with the Algaliarept's old familiar, Ceri, she takes pity on the girl and rescues her from the demon's clutches. She learns that Algaliarept poses a greater danger than she first expected.

Every Which Way But Dead is a good book, like the first two books in the series. In this book Harrison starts to write more about Rachel's relationships and love life which I don't find interesting and I feel that it distracts from the plot. Overall, Every Which Way But Dead is a fun book if you enjoyed the first two books.

Dead Witches Tell No Tales (2006) is the second Fantasy omnibus in the Rachel Morgan series, following This Witch for Hire. It contains Every Which Way but Dead and A Fistful of Charms.

Vampire Charms is a corperate venture owned by Rachel, Ivy and Jenks. It does paranormal investigation and other jobs. Unfortunately, some people think it is an escort service.

Every Which Way but Dead (2005) is the third novel in this series. Piscary is convicted for the murders of several ley line witches after the demon Algaliarept testifies against him. Now Rachel summons the demon to fulfill her promise in exchange for his testimony. She goes through the rites to become his familiar.

After accepting her service, Al no longer needs his former familiar, the elf Ceri. Despite his sadistic intentions, Rachel convinces Al to release Ceri and then she gets Ceri onto sanctified ground. Ceri is now free after a thousand years of service to the demon.

Although Ceri is rapidly adjusting to her new freedom, Rachel needs to find her another home. Jenks is frustrated because he can't tell what kind of creature she is. He knows that she is the same kind as Trent Kalamack, but Rachel prefers not to release that information and pixies are not known for keeping secrets. Besides, Rachel, Ivy and Jenks are not exactly a normal household living in a typical lifestyle.

Rachel invites Keasley, the old witch living across the street, to come over and meet Ceri. While Keasley is not exactly a typical inderlander himself, he is more so than the Vampiric Charms team. At first Ceri and Keasley are a bit reluctant, but soon find much to like in each other. Keasley returns home to install Ceri in his spare bedroom.

In this story, Rachel notices that an older Were has been following her and confronts him in a back corner of the zoo. David Hue is an insurance adjuster who has a few questions about the fish that Rachel had taken from Mr. Ray's office. It seems that the fish had been stolen and the original owner has filed a claim. He also has some papers for Rachel to sign concerning the final disposition of the fish.

Algaliarept cannot use Rachel as his familiar without taking her back to the ever-after and is less than happy about her refusal to cross over. One day, when Rachel uses the ley line in her back yard, Al unexpectedly appears and starts dragging her away. Since the backyard ley line is surrounded by sanctified ground, the nearest available ley line is eight blocks away and Al is determined to drag or carry her to it. But Ceri, Keasley and David form a circle to stop him and Rachel, as the de facto summoner, then banishes him back to the ever-after.

This story also tells of Rachel's troubled relationship with Nick Sparagmos. After he became her familiar, Nick was subject to seizures and other upsets whenever Rachel drew upon a ley line. Now that she is Algaliarept's familiar, that tie has been broken, but Nick still isn't returning home. Then Kristen takes her out on a date and she finds herself becoming more attracted toward him.

A Fistful of Charms (2006) is the fourth novel in this series. A group of Werewolf alpha males, including David Hue's boss, are upset about her status as the alpha female of David's pack. They lure Rachel and David to a deserted building, escort David back out, and strap Rachel so that she cannot use ley line magic. Then Karen -- an old flame of David's -- challenges Rachel for the position. Since Rachel is not a Werewolf and cannot use her magic, it will be Rachel in human form fighting against Karen as a wolf.

Rachel learns something new about Werewolves during the fight. A pack can share their power with a member. Karen turns to wolf form in thirty seconds flat and doesn't feel any pain despite the injuries inflicted by Rachel. Then David returns without his escorts and starts distracting the remaining alpha males.

Karen soon learns that the human form can inflict pain on a wolf. Rachel punches, bites and throws Karen around the floor and every bit of it causes pain. When David tosses the splat ball gun to Rachel, the fight comes to an abrupt ending. Since the three alpha males who went out with David never returned, the requisite eight alphas were not available to witness the fight, so Rachel wins on a technicality.

After that unexpected occurrence, Rachel gets together with Ceri and they modify a ley line spell to allow Rachel to turn into a wolf. The next time anyone tries to challenge her for alpha status, Rachel is going to give them a surprise. She can become a wolf on the whisper of a single keyword.

In this story, Rachel also has problems with fairies. Ever since Jenks -- the pixie partner in Vampiric Charms -- moved out with his family, the churchyard garden has been open to invasion by fairies. Now Rachel has a nest full of the hateful creatures tearing up the herbs and dandelions just to get at bugs and she isn't doing too well at driving them off.

Luckily, Matalina and Jih -- the eldest daughter -- come visiting to ask Rachel for a favor. Upon seeing the fairies, Matalina draws an arrow in her bow and orders the fairies off the property. Jih waves her silver sword at the fairies. After a single arrow through a fairy wing, the garden is soon free of the fairy presence. Pixies are very deadly little creatures.

When Matalina returns from checking out Jih's garden, Rachel learns that her ex-boyfriend Nick Sparagmos had talked Jax -- the eldest son of Jenks and Matalina -- into going with him to steal a statue. Matalina told her husband to ask Rachel and Ivy for help, but Jenks refused. Now he is trying to raise money to take a plane to Michigan to rescue Jax, which only shows how poorly he is thinking since pixies get really sick flying in planes due to the pressure changes.

These stories show Rachel as a confused woman. She looks for love and only finds abuse and deception. She doesn't have a clue about normal relationships.

The next installment in this omnibus sequence has not yet been released on the store.

Highly recommended for Harrison fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of preternatural creatures, magical methods, and a bit of romance. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

Yes, this series IS superficially similar to LK Hamilton's Anita Blake books; however, the depth of characterization, completeness of this alt-reality and likeability of the main character distinguishes this book from the Anita Blake novels. The arguments against these books based on their similarity to Hamilton's series are specious at best because they fail to account for Harrison's ability to create compelling characters and build a fascinating alternative reality. Incidentally, Harrison is actually quite a fine writer as well. Arguably these books are also similar to Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series (ditzy bounty hunter who gathers new friends with each book) or Buffy the Vampire Slayer or even Harry Potter (person discovers their magical potential, which turns out to be extraordinary).

Enough with that nonsense, on with the review...

The previous two books were fantastic--riddled with action, plot development and bombshells of revelation. This novel isn't really built along those lines. The pace is slower and more deliberate and Harrison seems to be setting the stage for greater fireworks in the series. There aren't any big revelations, but there are enough details about the Hollows to make the book enjoyable.

One of the best things about Harrison is that she doesn't condescend to her readers. This means that the book makes more work for the reader. At one point in this book Rachel calls Trent Kalamack "Denon"--who, if you remember, was Rachel's vamp boss in "Dead Witch Walking". Noticing that detail, and remembering who Denon is, takes a certain kind of attention, but the reward is in knowing that she has that kind kind world-building ability. Some character or event that seems minor and insignificant in Book One will come around and play into the plot in later books.

One negative about the series is Rachel's inattentiveness to other character's feelings and motivations.. It's difficult to respect Rachel as a character when she doesn't see what is right in front of her eyes (Ivy's feelings, Nick's activities, Kisten's intentions). Are we are supposed to question her sanity? It seems that the men (I use that term loosely) are deceitful and quite possibly using her for their own purposes. The only halfway likeable one, Trent, seems to be out of the running because Rachel doesn't seem that interested in him nor does he seem interested in her romantically. For now I'm hoping that Harrison doesn't think that a hot guy in leather (the author seems obsessed with leather) automatically equals workable love interest.

One problem with Kim Harrison's engaging earth-witch/runner character Rachel Morgan is that a lot of her problems are self generated. I think this is largely intentional on Harrison's part, and having a heroine with large, real flaws is interesting, especially as Rachel herself seems sensitive to some of them, and totally oblivious to others. I think it crosses the line in this book though, and I have had to dock her a star for it. To me, the most egregious scene was not when she loses her partner Jenks by showing that she doesn't trust him, but earlier when she drags him to what she must know is likely to be a very difficult encounter with her boyfriend. This is not something you do with a coworker, even if he is also a friend. Then, after said boyfriend is out of the picture (and good riddance, there's obviously a mystery there, but it can stay unresolved and he can stay gone as far as I am concerned), she strikes up a new relationship with possibly the male character most likely to be a bad choice for her, in terms of her relationships both with Ivy and the enemy who almost killed her once. (And in fact this new boyfriend does literally blow her sky-high). She then unthinkingly does the very thing she has been explicitly warned will bring her _other_ arch-enemy to her doorstep, and finally, when the book is over, and she has supposedly learned some things about herself, she makes a formal legal commitment with a man who is a casual ally at best, and rubs Ivy's nose in it by making her an official witness. In fact her continuing snub of Ivy is another bit of self-delusion and bad judgement on Rachel's part. She imagines that she couldn't do the blood/sex thing with a female after several times describing her intense desire to do just that. Yes, perhaps that "orientation" is imposed by her "scar", but that doesn't make it less real, and she's ready enough to have sex completely outside her _species_, complete with different (though never described..) sexual anatomy.

I'm _only_ docking one star because as screwed-up as Rachel is, her story still has me interested. She has a unique and appealing narrative voice, and I don't want her without flaws, just a bit fewer, and a bit more realization of the ones she has.

This is the third entry in Kim Harrison's Hollows series about witch/investigator Rachel Morgan. I highly recommend you read the first two (Dead Witch Walking and The Good, the Bad & the Undead) before tackling this one or you'll be lost-plus it will ruin a few surprises if you ever backtrack and read the first two. Briefly, this series is set in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky (big ups to Covington/Newport) and is set in an alternate world where humans share space with vampires, weres, fairies and other assorted supernatural beings. All of whom came out of hiding after a manmade virus wiped out a large portion of the human population of the planet. Rachel is a witch that works in a detective agency with a living vampire and a pixy. Yes, a pixy. Just trust me when I say it's better than it sounds.

Unlike the previous two novels, this one hits the ground running with action that continues all the way to the conclusion. The book opens with Rachel summoning the demon Alagliarept. It seems Rachel is desperately trying to get out of being his familiar-an arrangement she was forced into at the end of book two. In the process, she rescues his former familiar-a 1000 year old elf named Ceri. Her boyfriend Nick has left her after being unable to deal with her accidentally making him her familiar, the vampire Piscary is in jail but still making trouble for her and her living vamp roommate Ivy, there's a new supervillain vying for control of Cincinnati's underground, Al the demon is more determined than ever to pull her into Hell with him, elf and semi-nemesis Trent Kalamack is still trying to make her work for him and-oh yeah-the other living vamp in Rachel's life, Kisten, has asked her out.

This book simply rocks. The action is non-stop, the alternate universe is elaborately drawn, the characters are mostly likable and engaging and there is chemistry aplenty. And if you are a Kisten fan, you will be happy to know that he and Rachel finally get closer in this book. What I didn't like is the levity from the first two books is almost gone. Although Rachel doesn't stupidly contaminate a crime scene by having a meaningless temper tantrum as she did in the second book, I did find myself missing the witch that stole the Howler's fish. This book and Rachel are much more serious. And what is almost a criminal literary crime, Rachel and her pixy business partner Jenks have a fight midway through over something kind of silly and he moves out, leaving a huge vacancy of humanity and comic relief. Likewise, Captain Edden and his son from the Federal Inderland Bureau (the human agency that polices supernatural crime) are MIA in this novel as well. I did enjoy Rachel growing more into her own as a witch however and I really loved the way that Harrison resolves the final battle between Rachel and the new villain.

Despite minor complaints, I really enjoyed this book and I've already picked up the next one in the series (A Fistful of Charms.) I found Kim Harrison after giving up on Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake novels which jumped the shark about 3 books ago. If you too are a refugee from that series or enjoy supernatural mystery, I think you'll be very happy here.

Rachel, Ivy and Jenks are runners--sort of private detectives--in Cincinnati. But with a difference they are all inderlanders (Rachel is a witch, Ivy a vampire, and Jenks a pixie). Rachel is breaking up with her old boyfriend Nick and winds up in a relationship with Kisten an old boyfriend of Ivy's and still a friend of hers. Rachel has made a deal with a demon Algaliarept to be his familiar in return for his testimony against Piscary the vampire boss of Cincinnati. She manages to trick Algaliarept (usually known as Al) so that she doesn't get haled of to be his familiar and he is a real sore looser. She also gets him to release his previous familiar Ceri (an elf). There are a couple intertwined plots here and good writing. One fairly hot erotic scene between Rachel and Kisten as well. But this isn't really in th erotica subgenere. A little humour here and there as well (when Rachel and Piscary's lawyer meat and David a were wolf insurence adjuster for a company run by weres). It would have been better with a little stronger plot and without errors like saying that Ivy is the last of the living Tamwood vampires (vampires come in two flavors living and undead) when she has a younger sister and her father is also still living. The main villain is Lee Saladin (a witch) who is trying to take over the city from Trent (one of the few remaining elves who wants their existence kept secret) and Kisten/Ivy who are running things for Piscary. They wind up in a showdown in the ever after that ends with Al taking Lee as his familiar. Good characters and overall nice complex plot.

Of course i've read all three in this series, and while the other two were good enough to keep me wanting to read the next, this one was the best so far. I wasn't thrilled about the abrupt ending and all the things left unknown, and all of the other things left unknown from the very first book are somewhat troublesome. But i'm willing to wait it out and see exactly what Ivy wishes for at the very beginning of book one when Rachel, Ivy and Jenks all made a wish granted to them by a leprechaun. For all those who forgot about that, doesn't it make you just a little curious now that i mention it? And still there are questions about Rachel's father, and what exactly is up with her mother? Now we have this new development with Newt to ponder. I mean, really, how can we be expected to wait for book number four with so much left still unknown? That's why i'm glad i didn't start reading the Anita Blake series until just this year. I've been able to read one after the next and not have to worry about any wait, unless it was to read something else in between. Oh, and the sex scene in this book was great. Not as graphic as Anne Rice, and therefore all the better.

While I thoroughly enjoyed reading the first two books of this series, I LOVED this one! The characters are probably my favorite part of these books as they are all so complex and unique. You would expect that by the third book, the author would be done building the characters but I love that in each book we only find out more and more about them. Not that it ever gets boring, this book had more action than the other two combined! I've nothing else to say besides- I'm hooked! Thank goodness for Kindles so I don't have to wait to start the next one!

I described Dead Witch Walking as "a good start to a new series in the Hamilton, Harris mould". Fortunately the promise of the first volume has been more than delivered. The characters are all developing nicely, the story thread about the elves is being gradually revealed and Rachel Mariana Morgan manages to stay alive despite the attempts of some extremely powerful enemies. Fortunately she does this through luck and wits rather than Anita Blakes continued acquisition of superpowers. She also manages to avoid bedding every eligible, or ineligible male in site. The end result is that Kim Harrison has quickly gone to the head of the class in this genre of fiction. Charlaine Harris will need to be careful and Laurell Hamilton will need to raise her game considerably if she isn't to be left behind. There's a new kid on the block, her name's Kim and she's taking no prisoners.

I've really enjoyed this series and feel this book is the best so far. Relationship issues between the main characters (Ivy, Rachel, Jenks, etc.) are becoming more complex and less confusing. The author has really hit her stride in bringing all of these characters to life. The plot was fast-paced, resulting in me staying up way too late to finish it. Although the main character, Rachel, is getting stronger, she still has flaws and makes mistakes - keeping her real. The only (mild) criticism that comes to mind is the continued Ivy/Rachel angst. It hasn't hit overload yet, but I fear it might if it continues throughout the series. Overall, this was a great 5-star read for me. :)

The latest Harry Potter book is sitting beside me, waiting for me to have finished this book. Yes, it is that good! The protagonist is tough and fiesty (think early Anita Blake, but with a soft side), the world is richly drawn and detailed, many of the bad guys have redeeming qualities. The story moves along briskly, and the writing style is clean and straightforward but not simplistic. Gore is limited; sex is just graphic enough to be interesting without being dull or nauseating. This book won't have you contemplating deep life mysteries, but it will entertain you very well for a few hours.

The book opens with Rachel trying to outsmart a demon and escape a bargain she made at the end of the last book in a desperate attempt to save her life. Now she finds herself sucked into the power vacuum left behind when the villian who provoked that bargain is sent to prison. Complicating the situation is the fact that said villian was intimately involved in the lives of both her roommate, who wants nothing to do with the situation but who is nearly helpless to stay out of it, and her new love interest, who is trying very hard to both court Rachel and keep the city's underground in control. Throw in a liberal handful of misunderstandings, misteps, and mistakes of judgement; new friends and old enemies in new roles, and you have one very lively, imaginative story. I can't wait for volume 4; this series keeps getting better and better!

Hmmm, this book was very underwhelming for me. It seemed to drag on and on and the story and characters never grabbed me. This time around Rachel has love life problems, demon troubles, elf woes, pixie-man friction and the usual vampire struggles with her roommate/business partner Ivy who wants to be more than friends. She also has to face up to her deal with the demon Al that she made in the last book. And then there's the master vampire and other assorted issues she must deal with here. Honestly, there was so much going on that I found myself lost for much of it. My focusing problems weren't helping matters out either. I feel the same way about this book as I did the last. It needs humor (I keep reading reviews calling it "light, fun, funny, etc. but I'm not seeing it) and more emotional ties to get me to care about the characters. I don't know if I'll bother to continue with the series at this point.

Rachel Morgan is not your average witch. She has fought all kinds of Inderlanders, vamps, weres, fairies, even demons. She bears 2 demon marks and Al (the demon) is ready to collect on his debt. As if living with a vampire isn't enough, now she decides to face this trial alone without the help of her partners, Ivy , the vampire, and Jenks, a pixie. Her boyfriend has left town because he can't handle the pull when she accesses the ley-lines. He was unfortunate enough to be caught in a spell in the last book and is now Rachel's familiar. A familiar is used to store magic energy until she needs it. Rachel refuses to use Nick this way and must find a way to free him. So her love life is in the pits. However, Ivy's friend Kisten finds her very attractive BUT as RAchel has told Ivy over and over again she is not food. Dating a live vampire like Kisten could be very dangerous.

Ivy is a living vampire who lives with Rachel, she wants a tie to Rachel and feels that her blood would be the tie. She tries to convince Rachel that taking blood doesn't mean a carnel tie. Rachel knows better and has sworn never to let anyone take her blood. Ivy has threatened to kill anyone who takes Rachel's blood.

Kisten is trying to replace the Vampire (Piscary) who was arrested in the last book for killing ley line witches. He has someone else trying to muscle in on the territory and needs Rachel's help to confront the intruder. He also is strongly attracted to Rachel and intends to seduce her if he gets a chance. Rachel gets blowen up on a casino ship, captured by the demon, finds love with Kisten, winds up in the Ever After, hurts Ivy and Jenks, she is winded and dined by the cities most eligible bachlor, Trent Kalamack, and rescues an elf who has been held prisoner for the last thousand years by the demon. Did I say there was lots of action? This is just a part of it. I loved it.

The plot goes from cliffhanger to cliffhanger, no pauses, fast action and great plot. Rachel goes from danger to danger with very little rest. I enjoyed every page and I'm looking forward to more from this wonderful storyteller. These are delightful characters and I really want to get the answers to all the questions. IF you haven't read her other books, you should get them right away. DEAD WITCH WALKING and THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UNDEAD.

Things are not really looking up. Rachel Morgan is sexy, tough and everybody wants a piece of her. And when dealing with vampires and demons, sometimes that piece may be your soul or an important organ. She also has boyfriend trouble, Jenks is pissed at her and the powers of the underworld are starting to notice her and how she has this problem with authority. By the time you finish this book even you'll feel tired and need a good cup of tea.
I love how all the books have titles from Western flicks. Also enjoy the relationships because, frankly, undead or not they seem realistic and not too over blown.

Rachel Marianna Morgan worries about the ever-after as a familiar to Algaliarept though the deal she struck with the demon to save her family especially Ceri enables the witch to keep her soul. When Al realizes that Rachel still has free will, he rages in frustration and warns her that she is still his familiar though he cannot force her into his realm. Thus she must show caution or else Al will come back sooner than later for her.

Still that does not stop her from protecting the thousand year old elven child from her "master". When Al comes for her Rachel expects at a minimum she will turn back into a DEAD WITCH WALKING, but most likely worse. Rachel also deals with more mundane problems like her boyfriend dumping her, her roommate Ivy a vampire falling off the bloody wagon, and Kisten another vampire wanting to share a bite or two with her. Life or is that un-life is normal for Rachel as she deals with THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UNDEAD of otherworldly and human drug lords and howling insurance salesmen.

The latest Rachel Morgan tongue in cheek tale is a bewitching story that grips the audience from Al's first demand ignored by our heroine until the final altercations with combatants like Al, family members, and vampires. The story line is action packed, but as with the previous dead and undead tales, readers believe in the supernatural as the norm. The only criticism of this magnificent Morgan adventures is staying up all night to read it as Kim Harrison beguiles fans not to put down her latest thriller in spite of 500 plus pages until they finish.

Harriet Klausner

One problem with Kim Harrison's engaging earth-witch/runner character Rachel Morgan is that a lot of her problems are self generated. I think this is largely intentional on Harrison's part, and having a heroine with large, real flaws is interesting, especially as Rachel herself seems sensitive to some of them, and totally oblivious to others. I think it crosses the line in this book though, and I have had to dock her a star for it. To me, the most egregious scene was not when she loses her partner Jenks by showing that she doesn't trust him, but earlier when she drags him to what she must know is likely to be a very difficult encounter with her boyfriend. This is not something you do with a coworker, even if he is also a friend. Then, after said boyfriend is out of the picture (and good riddance, there's obviously a mystery there, but it can stay unresolved and he can stay gone as far as I am concerned), she strikes up a new relationship with possibly the male character most likely to be a bad choice for her, in terms of her relationships both with Ivy and the enemy who almost killed her once. (And in fact this new boyfriend does literally blow her sky-high). She then unthinkingly does the very thing she has been explicitly warned will bring her _other_ arch-enemy to her doorstep, and finally, when the book is over, and she has supposedly learned some things about herself, she makes a formal legal commitment with a man who is a casual ally at best, and rubs Ivy's nose in it by making her an official witness. In fact her continuing snub of Ivy is another bit of self-delusion and bad judgement on Rachel's part. She imagines that she couldn't do the blood/sex thing with a female after several times describing her intense desire to do just that. Yes, perhaps that "orientation" is imposed by her "scar", but that doesn't make it less real, and she's ready enough to have sex completely outside her _species_, complete with different (though never described..) sexual anatomy.

I'm _only_ docking one star because as screwed-up as Rachel is, her story still has me interested. She has a unique and appealing narrative voice, and I don't want her without flaws, just a bit fewer, and a bit more realization of the ones she has.

This is the third entry in Kim Harrison's Hollows series about witch/investigator Rachel Morgan. I highly recommend you read the first two (Dead Witch Walking and The Good, the Bad & the Undead) before tackling this one or you'll be lost-plus it will ruin a few surprises if you ever backtrack and read the first two. Briefly, this series is set in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky (big ups to Covington/Newport) and is set in an alternate world where humans share space with vampires, weres, fairies and other assorted supernatural beings. All of whom came out of hiding after a manmade virus wiped out a large portion of the human population of the planet. Rachel is a witch that works in a detective agency with a living vampire and a pixy. Yes, a pixy. Just trust me when I say it's better than it sounds.

Unlike the previous two novels, this one hits the ground running with action that continues all the way to the conclusion. The book opens with Rachel summoning the demon Alagliarept. It seems Rachel is desperately trying to get out of being his familiar-an arrangement she was forced into at the end of book two. In the process, she rescues his former familiar-a 1000 year old elf named Ceri. Her boyfriend Nick has left her after being unable to deal with her accidentally making him her familiar, the vampire Piscary is in jail but still making trouble for her and her living vamp roommate Ivy, there's a new supervillain vying for control of Cincinnati's underground, Al the demon is more determined than ever to pull her into Hell with him, elf and semi-nemesis Trent Kalamack is still trying to make her work for him and-oh yeah-the other living vamp in Rachel's life, Kisten, has asked her out.

This book simply rocks. The action is non-stop, the alternate universe is elaborately drawn, the characters are mostly likable and engaging and there is chemistry aplenty. And if you are a Kisten fan, you will be happy to know that he and Rachel finally get closer in this book. What I didn't like is the levity from the first two books is almost gone. Although Rachel doesn't stupidly contaminate a crime scene by having a meaningless temper tantrum as she did in the second book, I did find myself missing the witch that stole the Howler's fish. This book and Rachel are much more serious. And what is almost a criminal literary crime, Rachel and her pixy business partner Jenks have a fight midway through over something kind of silly and he moves out, leaving a huge vacancy of humanity and comic relief. Likewise, Captain Edden and his son from the Federal Inderland Bureau (the human agency that polices supernatural crime) are MIA in this novel as well. I did enjoy Rachel growing more into her own as a witch however and I really loved the way that Harrison resolves the final battle between Rachel and the new villain.

Despite minor complaints, I really enjoyed this book and I've already picked up the next one in the series (A Fistful of Charms.) I found Kim Harrison after giving up on Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake novels which jumped the shark about 3 books ago. If you too are a refugee from that series or enjoy supernatural mystery, I think you'll be very happy here.

Rachel, Ivy and Jenks are runners--sort of private detectives--in Cincinnati. But with a difference they are all inderlanders (Rachel is a witch, Ivy a vampire, and Jenks a pixie). Rachel is breaking up with her old boyfriend Nick and winds up in a relationship with Kisten an old boyfriend of Ivy's and still a friend of hers. Rachel has made a deal with a demon Algaliarept to be his familiar in return for his testimony against Piscary the vampire boss of Cincinnati. She manages to trick Algaliarept (usually known as Al) so that she doesn't get haled of to be his familiar and he is a real sore looser. She also gets him to release his previous familiar Ceri (an elf). There are a couple intertwined plots here and good writing. One fairly hot erotic scene between Rachel and Kisten as well. But this isn't really in th erotica subgenere. A little humour here and there as well (when Rachel and Piscary's lawyer meat and David a were wolf insurence adjuster for a company run by weres). It would have been better with a little stronger plot and without errors like saying that Ivy is the last of the living Tamwood vampires (vampires come in two flavors living and undead) when she has a younger sister and her father is also still living. The main villain is Lee Saladin (a witch) who is trying to take over the city from Trent (one of the few remaining elves who wants their existence kept secret) and Kisten/Ivy who are running things for Piscary. They wind up in a showdown in the ever after that ends with Al taking Lee as his familiar. Good characters and overall nice complex plot.

Of course i've read all three in this series, and while the other two were good enough to keep me wanting to read the next, this one was the best so far. I wasn't thrilled about the abrupt ending and all the things left unknown, and all of the other things left unknown from the very first book are somewhat troublesome. But i'm willing to wait it out and see exactly what Ivy wishes for at the very beginning of book one when Rachel, Ivy and Jenks all made a wish granted to them by a leprechaun. For all those who forgot about that, doesn't it make you just a little curious now that i mention it? And still there are questions about Rachel's father, and what exactly is up with her mother? Now we have this new development with Newt to ponder. I mean, really, how can we be expected to wait for book number four with so much left still unknown? That's why i'm glad i didn't start reading the Anita Blake series until just this year. I've been able to read one after the next and not have to worry about any wait, unless it was to read something else in between. Oh, and the sex scene in this book was great. Not as graphic as Anne Rice, and therefore all the better.

While I thoroughly enjoyed reading the first two books of this series, I LOVED this one! The characters are probably my favorite part of these books as they are all so complex and unique. You would expect that by the third book, the author would be done building the characters but I love that in each book we only find out more and more about them. Not that it ever gets boring, this book had more action than the other two combined! I've nothing else to say besides- I'm hooked! Thank goodness for Kindles so I don't have to wait to start the next one!

I described Dead Witch Walking as "a good start to a new series in the Hamilton, Harris mould". Fortunately the promise of the first volume has been more than delivered. The characters are all developing nicely, the story thread about the elves is being gradually revealed and Rachel Mariana Morgan manages to stay alive despite the attempts of some extremely powerful enemies. Fortunately she does this through luck and wits rather than Anita Blakes continued acquisition of superpowers. She also manages to avoid bedding every eligible, or ineligible male in site. The end result is that Kim Harrison has quickly gone to the head of the class in this genre of fiction. Charlaine Harris will need to be careful and Laurell Hamilton will need to raise her game considerably if she isn't to be left behind. There's a new kid on the block, her name's Kim and she's taking no prisoners.

I've really enjoyed this series and feel this book is the best so far. Relationship issues between the main characters (Ivy, Rachel, Jenks, etc.) are becoming more complex and less confusing. The author has really hit her stride in bringing all of these characters to life. The plot was fast-paced, resulting in me staying up way too late to finish it. Although the main character, Rachel, is getting stronger, she still has flaws and makes mistakes - keeping her real. The only (mild) criticism that comes to mind is the continued Ivy/Rachel angst. It hasn't hit overload yet, but I fear it might if it continues throughout the series. Overall, this was a great 5-star read for me. :)

The latest Harry Potter book is sitting beside me, waiting for me to have finished this book. Yes, it is that good! The protagonist is tough and fiesty (think early Anita Blake, but with a soft side), the world is richly drawn and detailed, many of the bad guys have redeeming qualities. The story moves along briskly, and the writing style is clean and straightforward but not simplistic. Gore is limited; sex is just graphic enough to be interesting without being dull or nauseating. This book won't have you contemplating deep life mysteries, but it will entertain you very well for a few hours.

The book opens with Rachel trying to outsmart a demon and escape a bargain she made at the end of the last book in a desperate attempt to save her life. Now she finds herself sucked into the power vacuum left behind when the villian who provoked that bargain is sent to prison. Complicating the situation is the fact that said villian was intimately involved in the lives of both her roommate, who wants nothing to do with the situation but who is nearly helpless to stay out of it, and her new love interest, who is trying very hard to both court Rachel and keep the city's underground in control. Throw in a liberal handful of misunderstandings, misteps, and mistakes of judgement; new friends and old enemies in new roles, and you have one very lively, imaginative story. I can't wait for volume 4; this series keeps getting better and better!

Hmmm, this book was very underwhelming for me. It seemed to drag on and on and the story and characters never grabbed me. This time around Rachel has love life problems, demon troubles, elf woes, pixie-man friction and the usual vampire struggles with her roommate/business partner Ivy who wants to be more than friends. She also has to face up to her deal with the demon Al that she made in the last book. And then there's the master vampire and other assorted issues she must deal with here. Honestly, there was so much going on that I found myself lost for much of it. My focusing problems weren't helping matters out either. I feel the same way about this book as I did the last. It needs humor (I keep reading reviews calling it "light, fun, funny, etc. but I'm not seeing it) and more emotional ties to get me to care about the characters. I don't know if I'll bother to continue with the series at this point.

Rachel Morgan is not your average witch. She has fought all kinds of Inderlanders, vamps, weres, fairies, even demons. She bears 2 demon marks and Al (the demon) is ready to collect on his debt. As if living with a vampire isn't enough, now she decides to face this trial alone without the help of her partners, Ivy , the vampire, and Jenks, a pixie. Her boyfriend has left town because he can't handle the pull when she accesses the ley-lines. He was unfortunate enough to be caught in a spell in the last book and is now Rachel's familiar. A familiar is used to store magic energy until she needs it. Rachel refuses to use Nick this way and must find a way to free him. So her love life is in the pits. However, Ivy's friend Kisten finds her very attractive BUT as RAchel has told Ivy over and over again she is not food. Dating a live vampire like Kisten could be very dangerous.

Ivy is a living vampire who lives with Rachel, she wants a tie to Rachel and feels that her blood would be the tie. She tries to convince Rachel that taking blood doesn't mean a carnel tie. Rachel knows better and has sworn never to let anyone take her blood. Ivy has threatened to kill anyone who takes Rachel's blood.

Kisten is trying to replace the Vampire (Piscary) who was arrested in the last book for killing ley line witches. He has someone else trying to muscle in on the territory and needs Rachel's help to confront the intruder. He also is strongly attracted to Rachel and intends to seduce her if he gets a chance. Rachel gets blowen up on a casino ship, captured by the demon, finds love with Kisten, winds up in the Ever After, hurts Ivy and Jenks, she is winded and dined by the cities most eligible bachlor, Trent Kalamack, and rescues an elf who has been held prisoner for the last thousand years by the demon. Did I say there was lots of action? This is just a part of it. I loved it.

The plot goes from cliffhanger to cliffhanger, no pauses, fast action and great plot. Rachel goes from danger to danger with very little rest. I enjoyed every page and I'm looking forward to more from this wonderful storyteller. These are delightful characters and I really want to get the answers to all the questions. IF you haven't read her other books, you should get them right away. DEAD WITCH WALKING and THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UNDEAD.

Things are not really looking up. Rachel Morgan is sexy, tough and everybody wants a piece of her. And when dealing with vampires and demons, sometimes that piece may be your soul or an important organ. She also has boyfriend trouble, Jenks is pissed at her and the powers of the underworld are starting to notice her and how she has this problem with authority. By the time you finish this book even you'll feel tired and need a good cup of tea.
I love how all the books have titles from Western flicks. Also enjoy the relationships because, frankly, undead or not they seem realistic and not too over blown.

Rachel Marianna Morgan worries about the ever-after as a familiar to Algaliarept though the deal she struck with the demon to save her family especially Ceri enables the witch to keep her soul. When Al realizes that Rachel still has free will, he rages in frustration and warns her that she is still his familiar though he cannot force her into his realm. Thus she must show caution or else Al will come back sooner than later for her.

Still that does not stop her from protecting the thousand year old elven child from her "master". When Al comes for her Rachel expects at a minimum she will turn back into a DEAD WITCH WALKING, but most likely worse. Rachel also deals with more mundane problems like her boyfriend dumping her, her roommate Ivy a vampire falling off the bloody wagon, and Kisten another vampire wanting to share a bite or two with her. Life or is that un-life is normal for Rachel as she deals with THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UNDEAD of otherworldly and human drug lords and howling insurance salesmen.

The latest Rachel Morgan tongue in cheek tale is a bewitching story that grips the audience from Al's first demand ignored by our heroine until the final altercations with combatants like Al, family members, and vampires. The story line is action packed, but as with the previous dead and undead tales, readers believe in the supernatural as the norm. The only criticism of this magnificent Morgan adventures is staying up all night to read it as Kim Harrison beguiles fans not to put down her latest thriller in spite of 500 plus pages until they finish.

Harriet Klausner

I'm liking this series more and more as I read on. I'm a little sad about the fight with Jenks, but I hope it all gets worked out in the next book. Trent is starting to really show some promise. I liked him from the first book (I know, I'm weird by liking the bad guy) and I was and still am interested in what happens with this character.

Surprise after surprise. I didn't see this twist happening with Big Al. Great writing! I'm excited to see where this ley line stuff goes after this book, since Rachel keeps claiming to be an earth witch only.

In Kim Harrison's third installment in the Rachel Morgan series, "Every Which Way But Dead", uptight Rachel finally lets loose. With her relationship with her boyfriend Nick on the fritz, Rachel begins a flirtation with the super cool living vamp Kisten. Jenks, the pixy with an attitude, finds out that Rachel and Ivy have been keeping a secret from him. Rachel has further run ins with the demon Al that she owes a debt to. And as much as she may hate to, Rachel may finally have to work with Trent Kalamack.

I said after I read "The Good, The Bad, and The Undead" that I was done with Kim Harrison. I refused to read anymore of her work. But I was bored and this novel was on sale, so I picked it up figuring it would at least pass the time. I didn't expect too much, but I was pleasantly surprised. Harrison finally managed to put a story together that wasn't so far out there that I couldn't stay interested or so boring I couldn't stay in there. Harrison constructed a solid story that kept me engaged.

I will definitely be picking up the next installment in this series.

I really wanted to love this book. The writer is engaging. I should have started with book Number one, but, I did not.
I read a short story first, liked it, and then snatched up the first book I found by the same author. It was my terrible mistake. 2 big problems, too many bits from other books that are not part of this story. Already at book 3 there are way too many characters and way too many facts that refer to other books and seem to have nothing at all to do with this one.
I tried another book,[from the were wolf series] and gave up half way. I wanted to give up on this one, but kept hoping it would come together, it did not. Sorry.
Then, after reading a few boring normal writers, I missed the fun. So, I started reading other books on this series, and I'm glad I did.
As a series I think it is 4 star.

After receiving a advance readers copy of Kim Harrison's book, "Every Which Way But Dead," she mentions how a character Rachel made a deal with Al, a demon, where she risks all to save a thousand year old elf child, Ceri, from Al's group. For the present, she has to deal with the effects of her other choices as her boyfriend, Nick abandons her and one of her two partners. The vampire, Kisten, does help her feelings a good bit. Ms. Harrison is basically rapidly becoming the best of the paranormal writers. She is building a world that only grows more fascinating with each new entry. I don't want to give too many details but fans of the series will not be disappointed. The characters & story lines , both new and old, are well developed. Ms. Harrison just gets better and better with each book (amazing but true).

After loving the first book (and the sarcastic wit of the characters) in the series, Dead Witch Walking, and feeling let down with the 2nd (Good, Bad & Undead), I approached this with some trepidation- hoping that it was less like Kim Harrison's last effort and more like her first book. I can rest easy now as her newest book in the series, of which I'm sure will span over many more sequels, is a solid effort. Her last novel was written as if she didn't know which direction she was going to take the characters. In this one we see more interpersonal angst/lust between Ivy & Rachel Morgan, more Rachel v the Demon, more Kisten, more Trent, and just more of everything...and that is a very good thing. Some of the story point introduced in her prior novels are fleshed out quite a bit more, and we are given tidbits on Trent's secrets (and how it relates to.....oh no spoilers!). I'm really looking forward to the 4th book, whenever that may be :)
Hooray for Kim Harrison.

This was, by far, the best book I've read in a LONG time! I loved it! I liked how there was more of the demon storyline...that was cool. I also greatly enjoyed there being more Kisten...I love this character. He and Rachel are so fun together. I was ready for Nick to be put on the backburner.

This book didn't just focus on one main plot: there were several storylines going on. I loved that about this book, and all the action kept me glued to the pages. The bomb scene was awesome! Also, the book ending very well! Left me feeling really happy and wishing there were 500 more pages to read. I can't wait until the next one comes out!

Kim Harrison is so talented! She really brings the characters to life, and I've yet to be dissapointed by her books. The Rachel Morgan series is quite possibly my favorite series of books out there (tied with the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlainne Harris). Read these books: you will not be sorry you did!

Every Which Way But Dead is a great book and well worth the read. This particular installment in the series explores the vampires and demons in more detail than the previous books while mostly avoiding, yet managing to include a bit more elf and more were as well. It hardly delves deeply into the elven mystery, but it does provide some clues as to what may come next. It was a little disappointing to have Rachel "hook-up" so soon after Nick's little vacation, and I missed some of the human/tomato interactions present in the Good the Bad and the Undead (my favorite of the series so far). BTW, the use of "caps" is really, pardon the word, cute.

This is a great book for anyone who likes the unwordly or the otherwordly :) The characters are amusing and interesting and the author draws you into the story very quickly. This was a bit tamer sexually than some of Laurell K. Hamilton's newer Blake books, but despite that, or maybe because of it, the book came through. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of fantasy or romance. Just kick back, relax and enjoy the book. (by the way, the series only seem to get better, haven't read the newest yet, but can't wait!)

This is the third in the series of the Rachel Morgan books and I am absolutely loving them. Just the right combination of interesting plot, action, mystery, humor and romance. The interplay between the characters is great and I like the combination of strength and vulnerability that Rachel incorporates--she is not perfect and makes mistakes, but her heart is in the right place. Can't wait to find out what happens to this character and hopes she continues to grow and doesn't become too jaded, like LKH's Blake.

Kim Harrison delivers a winner in this third installment of the Rachel Morgan series. Rachel is a witch and a bounty hunter who hunts down werewolves, vamps and such. Like most of us, Rachel makes mistakes, but her mistakes are liable to cost her her life and if that's not bad enough; there's the threat of eternal damnation.

This novel is action packed with sassy dialogue, scary horror that has you looking over your shoulder in fear, and really steamy sex scenes. Whew! I loved it.

The story line had potential to be exciting, and the book started off with action. Unfortunately the author developed the lead character, Rachel Morgan, into a sex starved witch who evaluated each male (elf, werewolf, vampire, even demon) she encountered from a sexual standpoint. It was really annoying when it became so pervasive, maybe she was writing to other women.

Additionally, the author allowed the lead character to squeak out of mistakes through luck instead of clever intelligence. And the constant whining by the lead character of negative events that were affecting her also annoyed me. I wanted the lead character to take charge and develop into a strong person, and kept listening to the book because of tantalizing moments of action in which the heroin succeeded in overcoming the challenge of the moment.

Still frustrating waiting for those moments, and having to listen to the constant whining and sexual evaluations of the males in the book.

OK, so since reading the first of the Rachel Morgan series, I have grown to love getting the next in the chain. Every time I dive into the pages and submerge into the world that Kim Harrison so eloquently portrays, I feel a part of the story. Her extraordinary gift is making such fantasy feel whole, real and totally believable.

This to me was the failing of others like buffy, which always felt unreal. Rachel is sassy, and knows what real life is, and to me they should put these into film ASAP!

Book 3 Rachel starts to think she can start getting her life in order, but as always things never quite go to plan. Living with a family of Pixies, a living vampire and having your boyfriend as a familiar would suggest 'normality' is a dream that will never come true, but lets hope Rachel can do it.

If you are looking to drop out of the hum-drum and into a complex and real fantasy world, with adult emotions shown with grit and feeling, these are the books for you, and book 3 is even better!

Okay, but really not that special.

I like these books. Even if Rachel Morgan isn't the best character ever (She's rather too spunky-übermoral-heroine for my taste), there are loads of fantastic supporting characters and a very interesting alternate universe to make up for it.

The story was good. I liked Ceri, and Ivy got more depth, as did Kalamack. The plot surrounding Trent Kalamack looks like it's going to be good. I'm going to end up reading the forth book. Harrison tells a good story.

Now, on to the complaining:

Harrison seems to have (at least partially) gotten over her obsession with faces going slack. Now she's into miens. She really, really loves describing miens.

The whole Kisten thing made me want to scream. He's sexy and fluffy and annoying. I can deal with the sexy. I just like him better when he's vaguely pathetic. In this book he's basically been turned into a wish-fulfillment boyfriend. I really hope he gets gotten rid of in the next book.

Still, I'll probably read the next book when it comes out. The Rachel Morgan books have always had a lot of potential, but I don't think Harrison has ever really lived up to that potential. If and when she smooths out her problems, this series is going to be fantastic.

Rated 3.5/5

Summary: Rachel Morgan has a lot of loose ends to tie up after her adventures in book two. First of all, her boyfriend Nick isn't very excited about being accidentally turned into her familiar, and he pulls away from her as a result. She is confused and hurt by the rejection, but this leaves her open to a new relationship that might be far more rewarding.

Adding to Rachel's feelings of abandonment, Jenks takes a hiatus from the team. He is angry with Rachel and Ivy for keeping secrets from him about Trent's origins, and is steadfast in his refusal to forgive them. Ivy takes his disappearance in stride like she takes most things, but Rachel's emotional nature makes the loss of Jenks very difficult for her.

Rachel also has to make good on her deal with Al. In exchange for Al's testimony against the master vampire Piscary, Rachel has agreed to be his familiar - as long as she gets to keep her soul. She must go forward with the arrangement, but then she chooses to risk everything to save his former familiar, Ceri, from a miserable end. Ceri is obviously grateful for the rescue, and she becomes an important ally to Rachel as a result.

As the story continues, Rachel slowly becomes more familiar with the demons and their world. The power of this species is terrifying and deadly, yet the more we understand them, the more we are tempted to empathize with them. We also learn more about the fate of Rachel's father, as well as the history, power and future goals of the elves.

Review: One thing I have not criticized yet about this series, and I'll only say this once, I'm not a fan of the titles. Obviously every book title is a word play on a Clint Eastwood movie title. Clint has an enormous body of film work, and this is my point - it is HIS work. Using his titles as part of Harrison's book series, without having any real connection between the two bodies of work, feels like a degree of plagiarism to me. It also sounds corny. Harrison's writing is unique, creative and original. I feel that her book titles ought to be also. There, I said it.

I do really like this series, but the 3rd book wasn't one of my favorites even though there was a lot of great action. There were some good things in terms of resolving issues that were brought up in the previous books, but there really was not a clear plot line. I was 3/4 of the way through the story before I had any idea what Rachel was supposed to be accomplishing in this book or whom she was meant to defeat. Most of the book was spent with Rachel meandering through her daily activities and resolving issues as they came up. She is reactive instead of proactive in most cases, and she really had no specific goal she was working toward until the end.

A positive comment about this book is that I always enjoy the scenes where Algaliarept makes an appearance - those scenes are incredibly intense and full of action. This book also introduces a second demon, who presents us with a fun little cliffhanger about Rachel at the end. However, I wish that Rachel wouldn't make so many mistakes around Al. She starts the book by outsmarting him, which was fantastic. But after that initial success, she was a complete mess every time he showed up. I'd like to see her learning more from her experiences with him.

Another positive is that Rachel's lame boyfriend Nick fades away in this book, although we may not have seen the last of him. Instead, Rachel finds herself a new boyfriend who is a fan favorite. You'll have to read to find out who he is!

An epic failure in this book is that Jenks abandons his team for a period of time. I understand that he was mad about Rachel keeping secrets, but I simply didn't believe that he would leave them without his protection. Jenks has witnessed mistakes between Rachel and Ivy repeatedly. He is always very reasonable and supportive when it comes to resolving their problems with each other, so why is he so unwilling to accept that they could also make a mistake with him? It didn't make sense to me that he was suddenly so inflexible.

As I already mentioned, I do like this series and the characters as a whole. This isn't my favorite book, but stay tuned - the next two books are incredibly strong and my reviews will reflect that.

More demonic dirty deeds are to be seen here. Rachel encounters one of her demon's past slaves, and it turns out she is an elf. Suddenly there are elves everywhere, ex demon-slaves are elves, the super villain and annoying henchmen are elves. These guys are supposed to be gone, what is the story, etc.

Mysterious elderly next door neighbour, as well.

With arguments with her boyfriend, and the amusing pixie going on, this perhaps runs the risk of turning into a crazed supernatural fest, with no human characters left, despite their overwhelming majority numbers in the city.

In the second book in this series, the heroine captures a bad guy who has been torturing people (a lot of people) to death in truly horrific ways. AND he rapes the heroine's best friend. When the heroine and this monster meet in battle, he is doing his utmost to kill her, and she takes some sort of twisted pride in the fact that she doesn't kill him--just arrests him. At the beginning of this book, we are informed that this monster doesn't get the death penalty or even a life sentence. AND... he is a bigtime organized crime guy and is continuing to run his empire from his jail cell.

So I had a bad taste in my mouth from the first chapter of the book. Toward the end of the book, however, the bad taste got a whole lot worse. Since the biggest bad guy is in jail, he has a littler bad guy on the outside who does his evil deeds for him. The heroine knows this, and yet she dates him. And the little bad guy sets a bomb in a casino and innocent people are killed, and the heroine shrugs it off. After all, he called the management of the casino and told them there was a bomb, so he can't be held responsible for the deaths of those people...WHAT??!!!

Ask yourself this: If those terrorists who destroyed the Twin Towers on 9/11 had called ahead so that some of the people could get out alive, would you want to date one of them? Would that have made it okay? I don't think so. And if you were a former cop, dedicated to bringing bad guys to justice, and someone bigger and stronger had violently raped you, would you go to work for him running his crime syndicate? I don't think so.

Kim Harrison has created an interesting world with interesting characters, but her plotting is just awful. I had to force myself to finish this book, and I probably won't be reading the next one in the series.

There were a few slow moments but for the most part this was a fast paced, action packed, something always happening book! I loved the steamy scene which I won't go into because I don't want to spoil it.. and I loved the twist of the ever after grab.. it's all good! I can't wait to read the next one!!

Let me preface this by saying that Kim Harrison is my favorite author. I read this 500 page book in one 12-hour sitting (i guess devoured is more like it). Kim Harrison's writing style is just incredible - the way she is always mindful of the ways thing smell and taste - reminds me of J.K. Rowling and makes for one of the fullest reading experiences I've ever had. That said, this book didn't have a plot. No murders to solve, or name to clear - it was just 500 pages of a few days in the life of Rachel Mariana Morgan - which I am grateful for, but still would have liked a plot.

This is third in a very very good series. It is fun and magical. The characters are so cool. You feel like you are there going through everything with Rachel. If you like Anita, you will love Rachel because she is clumsy, strong and hard headed. She doesn't crawl into bed with a bunch of different men whom she claims to love like Anita or Merry in the Laurell K. Hamilton series. Which doesn't go to say she hasn't had her love interest moments. Nick was cool but the chemistry between her and Kist is smokin hot.

I have read the first two, but this was my favorite because of her developing relationship with Kist. I can't wait to read the next and the next and the next and....

I'm in love with the characters!! I love the relationship development between Ivy, Rachel, and Jenks! The supporting characters Ceri, and Kisten are amazing with their heir of mystery adding to the complex life of Rachel Morgan!

Another great book by Kim! I love the Hollows and its very interesting residents. Rachel is in trouble again but manages to twist her way out. But not totally unscathed. I love a good series that keeps on giving!

I enjoy the fantasy novels and this one was very good and well written. Humor in books with such scary characters is especially entertaining. Just recently, I've begun reading Kim Harrison's books and thoroughly enjoyed all three.

I enjoyed the first two of this series, and positively loved this one. Kim Harrison skillfully weaves in new, interesting characters, continuing to flesh out her alternative universe. I also love the length of these novels, and a heartily disagree with those who characterize parts of the novel as "slow." I was pulled in from the beginning, and the plot never let me down. I can't wait for the next one!

If you read my review on the first two books, you will remember the one thing I complained about was a slow start. Well, guess what ? This time Kim gives us a book that is wonderful from page 1.

Showing a definitive improvement on writing style and storytelling, Kim give us wonder novel, which picks up exactly where The Good, The Bad and The Undead finished.

Get ready to review some of your concepts about Rachel, since you will be seeing some new facets of the independent inlander runner. All the usual suspects are on the book, of course, such as Icy, Jenks and Trent. You will miss, perhaps, our old pals from FIB. On the other hand, you will get a nice were insurance adjustor, and find out that Trent is not as along as one might think.

Without a doubt, the best book of the series up to this point, and I'm running to get the 4th.

I loved Ceri and was glad shes brought into this world. Funny reading Jinx's interactions with her too. Al is the kind of character you hate and love at the same time. Rachael bounces back from being jilted by an old lover and its not as bad as I thought it would be. I liked the casino boat scenes.

I absolutely loved this book. It is in someways similar to the Anita Blake series but otherwise it is unique. I think Kim Harrison is a very good author. IN the book Rachel Morgan escapes from a demon and helps bring in a biodrug dealer. She also is having some fun with Kisten (otherwise known as Kist). Well I can't wait till the next book and the anthology called "Dates From Hell". Well either way you should enjoy the book...if you dare.

Another spectacular offering from Kim Harrison. I admit I struggled through about half of the 1st book with the rare result of finding a wonderful author that was well worth the struggle. From that point on I can't seem to put them down. True page-turners that keep you up 'til the wee hours of the morning. I am eagerly waiting for the next installment to see what kind of trouble poor Rachel gets into and out of.

Okay. i've become a Kim Harrison fan, after a less than stellar review for the first book of the series(which i first reviewed before reading the book in its entiry). Having read it since, i've become really hooked on the fun, mysterious, action-packed adventure of the central characters. I was glad to see that in this book the word "oriental" to describe a person was used once and that later in the book the non-offensive term "asian" was used to describe an individual's looks. After reading the stories and the context of progressivenss in character, scence, etc. it struck me that it must be an oversight or editing error of the publisher because Ms. Harrison's writing is really "way cool." Overll, the series is a 4.5-4.75 in my book. It just keeps getting better.

I'm going to buck the trend here. There are a couple of things that I found disappointing in what should have been a great book. If I get hammered a bit sobeit, but I think fans deserve more than an essay in occult dysfunction.

This has been a fairly solid series, with some interesting characters. A team of three 'runners' occupy center stage: Ivy the reluctant vampire to be, Jenks the motor-mouth pixie, and Rachel the earth/ley witch whose specialty is spending most of her time getting into situations where she can panic. Unfortunately, Rachel is the narrator, and gradually you will get tired of reading lines like "So like an idiot, I froze, and it smacked right into me." Rachel is spunky, self-reliant, and determined. So determined that she persistently jumps from one disaster to a worse one. For a while it's funny, then it's entertaining, and finally, you just have to shake your head in dismay.

This time her boyfriend leaves because he is terrified of her, so she misses him so much she starts up an affair with Kisten the most dangerous vampire in the city. The demon Algaliarept is hot on making Rachel into his familiar, and since she knows exactly what makes her vulnerable to him, that's what she keeps doing. She wanders into a struggle between to supernatural mavens of crime. Insisting that she doesn't kill people, the list of fatalities around her keeps mounting. She has an amazing ability to alienate friends as well.

Which doesn't mean that this is a bad book just that for all her pretensions, Rachel is no Anita Blake. It's obvious that Kim Harrison is setting her up to be the series sex star, but that really isn't enough. Thank goodness, though, most of the other characters are much stronger than Rachel, so, usually by accident, she manages to survive. What I don't know is if the series will survive another volume of plots that careen from one unnecessary problem.

Actually, I'm giving this book a three because late in the book she makes a genocidal decision for a selfish and silly reason. Haphazard plotting and gratuitous sex I can handle. But Kim Harrison isn't the kind of writer who can carry a character who is that hopelessly vicious. The result is that she blows by what is probably the most significant opportunity in the book. Well if you like a lot of action and 'no biting' sex, this will do for you. Hopefully the next book will work better.

Wily witch Rachel Morgan is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters. Harrison's world is populated with rich characters and situations and each book is better than the last.

And Kist and Rachel are smoking! And while I loved getting a closer look in to Ivy's story, now it's her turn for a hot partner.

This series gets better and better. The relationships and the possibilities for the supporting characters are starting to click. Elves are going to start to intrigue you as well as vamps and demons. Just as a side note-whoever does the proofing needs to be whipped with wet noodles. Very jarring!!

Every Which Way But Dead is an excellent book. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down! I've enjoyed all three books in the series and they just keep getting even better. Every Which Way But Dead is a fast-paced read with an interesting and complex cast of characters. If you haven't read any of the books in the series, I would recommend starting with the first book - Dead Witch Walking rather than jumping in here. Many of the unanswered questions in the previous books are answered in this book. Kim Harrison has quickly become one of my favorite authors and she has once again left me wanting more. I highly recommend this book.

Kim Harrison is an interesting author. I started off reading Laurell K. Hamilton's books and that led me to stumble upon this series, which wasn't too much of a disappointment.

While it is alike in the fact that humans are aware of the existence of non-human creatures in their world, it is certainly more complex than that and adds to the plot quite well.

Sometimes I feel the main character, a witch, is a bit unbelievable, but most of the time she is alright.

This is a light read, at least for me, and is a pretty intriguing with a unique cast of characters. Though the vampire/sex appeal is still there, which sometimes gets a bit trying, but if that's the way the author wishes to view the creatures, there is certainly nothing I can do about it.

Reguardless, it was alright, and not that expensive, so sure, I recommend it.

This was the first book that I picked up by Kim Harrison....I could not put it down. I really hate first person in a book but I quickly overlooked that after I started reading. All the characters in this book are great......Ivy, Jenks, (especially) Kistan, Trent etc... I just read the first book DWW and right this min ordering the second installment. I cannot wait till book 4 comes out and with it more bout Ivy and Trent. Read her books-----for they are so unexpected.

Even in a market full of supernatural, witty, authors, this author wins the prize for books that cannot be put down once begun, and that leaves you anxious for the arrival of the next book in the series.

I have read all the books this author has published and have enjoyed all of them. Harrison's books are a nice mixture of dark fantasy, fun, sexual tension and good plot. *note if you can get to a book signing the author is a very pleasent/fun person*

I recommend all of Ms. Harrisons books

This book works well as a standalone work as well as a continuation of a very good series.

For those of you that have been disappointed with the recent editions of Laurell Hamilton's books, you will be pleased with this series. Yes, the book has a plot!

I actually enjoyed this third book in the series more than the first two. So, I will anxiously await the next edition to the series.

This series gets better and better. The relationships and the possibilities for the supporting characters are starting to click. Elves are going to start to intrigue you as well as vamps and demons. Just as a side note-whoever does the proofing needs to be whipped with wet noodles. Very jarring!!

Every Which Way But Dead is an excellent book. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down! I've enjoyed all three books in the series and they just keep getting even better. Every Which Way But Dead is a fast-paced read with an interesting and complex cast of characters. If you haven't read any of the books in the series, I would recommend starting with the first book - Dead Witch Walking rather than jumping in here. Many of the unanswered questions in the previous books are answered in this book. Kim Harrison has quickly become one of my favorite authors and she has once again left me wanting more. I highly recommend this book.

Kim Harrison is an interesting author. I started off reading Laurell K. Hamilton's books and that led me to stumble upon this series, which wasn't too much of a disappointment.

While it is alike in the fact that humans are aware of the existence of non-human creatures in their world, it is certainly more complex than that and adds to the plot quite well.

Sometimes I feel the main character, a witch, is a bit unbelievable, but most of the time she is alright.

This is a light read, at least for me, and is a pretty intriguing with a unique cast of characters. Though the vampire/sex appeal is still there, which sometimes gets a bit trying, but if that's the way the author wishes to view the creatures, there is certainly nothing I can do about it.

Reguardless, it was alright, and not that expensive, so sure, I recommend it.

This was the first book that I picked up by Kim Harrison....I could not put it down. I really hate first person in a book but I quickly overlooked that after I started reading. All the characters in this book are great......Ivy, Jenks, (especially) Kistan, Trent etc... I just read the first book DWW and right this min ordering the second installment. I cannot wait till book 4 comes out and with it more bout Ivy and Trent. Read her books-----for they are so unexpected.

Even in a market full of supernatural, witty, authors, this author wins the prize for books that cannot be put down once begun, and that leaves you anxious for the arrival of the next book in the series.

I have read all the books this author has published and have enjoyed all of them. Harrison's books are a nice mixture of dark fantasy, fun, sexual tension and good plot. *note if you can get to a book signing the author is a very pleasent/fun person*

I recommend all of Ms. Harrisons books

This book works well as a standalone work as well as a continuation of a very good series.

For those of you that have been disappointed with the recent editions of Laurell Hamilton's books, you will be pleased with this series. Yes, the book has a plot!

I actually enjoyed this third book in the series more than the first two. So, I will anxiously await the next edition to the series.

This is a great book. With an interesting main plot and enough side plots to keep up the excitement. So far, I've liked every book in this series more than I did the one before. Which is pretty awesome since it usually works in the reverse.

Each book in this series gets better and better. Strong characters, a well thought out magic system (systems!) and great use of elves, vampires and other myths. A great read well worth the $$ and well worth the time.

I think Kim Harrison is a fantastic writer, and her books never fail to excite me. Maybe it's because the novelty has worn off a bit (serial characters) but I wasn't as blown away by this one. But I stress, she is a _brilliant_ writer and I hang out for Fistful of Charms. Yeah, right about good dark fantasy writers who's name start with H. What about good dark fantasy writers who's names are Kim? If you like Kim Harrison, you'll probly like Kim Wilkins. Not vampires, but cool supernatural stuff with great realistic characters.

Great book, just like the rest. But...you really need to read the previous ones to keep up. The concert plot was extraneous in the overall scheme of things, but OK. I read it on vacation and really loved it!

This was a GREAT !!!!! Book. I stayed up all night could not put it down. I have already ordered and read all of Kim Harrison Books they are all Great,I Wish the next Book would come out SOON!!! The books start out very Good then just get better!!!!

I'm new to this series, but have been tearing through them! I'll always be a fan of Anita Blake, but this world has even more types of characters and the plot hasn't deviated into the relationship-only type yet. I'm already halfway through the next one!

I've read them all(that have been written so far)and can't say enough about this story.The characters are solid and believable,the story keeps me turning pages and once I put one down I can't reach for the next one quick enough.Get these books!Every fan of paranormal fantasy books should have them in their library.Kim Harrison makes you feel as if there is an alternate world superimposed over our own with The Hollows,a city where vampires,weres,pixies,elves and demons compete with each other for space and supremacy.Strong bonds of friendship are there,and there were times I would trade places with Rachel Morgan in a heart beat,other times I was glad I'm not in her boots.One of my all time favorite series,bar none.

Rather than provide a synopsis of the book, an exercise already more than adequately covered by the editorial reviewers, as well as each previous customer review, I prefer to provide just my opinion.

Though not unpleasant, the series is so totally derivative of Laurell K. Hamilton's work as to suggest that Ms. Harrison has read the Cliff's Notes of both the Anita Blake and Merry Gentry series and has plotted the Hollows series as a merger of both of Hamilton's fantasy worlds.

The parallels between Anita Blake (a magic-using adjunct to law enforcement, whose love-life is complicated by vampires and werewolves) and Rachel Morgan (a magic-using adjunct to law enforcement, whose love-life is complicated by vampires and werewolves) are far too obvious. The steady progression from straightforward good vs. evil tales to soft-core porn is inevitable. With Hamilton's Anita Blake, the infusion of moral relativism is due to the protagonist being "marked" by a vampire triggering the near-virgin zombie queen to turn into a group-sex loving orgy queen, unable to resist almost any sexual impulse. The Harrison stories have begun this progression with the near-virgin witch having been infected with vampire saliva making her unable to resist vampiric sexual overtures. The orgies (and gender bending) are soon to follow as hinted at by Morgan's demon familiar's penchant for providing the "entertainment" at parties in the form of a compliant sexual slave. Morgan having just accepted the job as Demon Familiar, the parties are soon to follow.

The addition in the current volume of a new character (Cerridwen, or Ceri, pronounced with a hard "C") who is an elf-princess only recently returned to availability as a breeder and whose DNA is necessary to save the genetically declining Elvin race is certainly similar to Hamilton's Meredith (Merry) Gentry, a fairy princess only recently returned to availability as a breeder and whose DNA is necessary to save the Fairy. It is déjà vu all over again. Their names (Ceri/Merry) even rhyme.

If you are looking for something new, original, or innovative, you will not find it here. But if you are tired of waiting for the next Anita Blake novel and just want some eye candy...go for it. I do suggest that Ms. Harrison should pay royalties to Laurell Hamilton. It is only fair.

I like this series - this book was a little all over the place. There wasnt a clear storyline, but 4 or 5 smaller story arcs, but it was good enough for me. Kinda like season 4 of Buffy. The overall arc wasnt great, but it had some of the best individual episodes.

If you like woman that is abused but refuse to leave her abuser. then the main character of this book is for you. Rachael Morgan is a trailer trash witch, She is appalled here old boy friend is a thief, But is now sleeping with a mass murderer. After reading 3 of these books the only thing that would get me to read another is a promise of the death of the main character. It is a shame that the author has created a Cool "world" then peopled with trash-Uninteresting trash at that.

The book starts with Rachael being determined to fight the demon and being his familiar.
'I wouldn't allow myself to be pulled into the ever-after to be Algaliarept's familiar', Rachael thought.
' "Algaiarept, I summon you," I whispered, my heart pounding. Most people used all sorts of trappings to summon and contain a demon, but seeing as I already had an arrangement with it, simply saying its name and willing its presence would pull it across the lines. Lucky me. . . .'

There's no witch in Cincinnati more i trouble than the ex I.S. runner, Rachel Morgan, who's already put her love life and soul in jeopardy because she was determined to bring criminal business men to justice.
Between runs, she has her hands full of trouble, like fighting off her blood-drinking vamp-partner,Ivy, and resisting a hot new vamp suitor, Kisten.
Rachel must also take a stand in the power war in the city's underworld, since she put away its former vampire kingpin Piscary and made a deal with a powerful demon Al to be his demon familiar (the being that Al channels all his magic through to keep himself safe from harm) and that could cost her an eternity of pain, torment, and degradation.

More trouble with the boyfriend (Nick): Rachel's relationship with her boyfriend, Nick, is going downhill fast and he leaves town, but Rachel does not believe him.
Rachael has also been keeping a secret from Jenks: Trent Kalamack is an elf. When Jenks find out about the secret, he moves his family out of the church. He is angry that she didn't trust him with the secret.

Some other quotes from this book:

'Ivy!' I stammered, then glared at Kisten. 'You told Ivy? Thanks a hell of a lot. Want to call my mom next?"
-- Kim Harrison (Every Which Way But Dead)

"You had this all planned, didn't you?' I accused. 'Thought you could come in here and seduce me like you do everyone else?' It wasn't as if I could be angry, lying atop him as I was, but I tried."
-- Kim Harrison (Every Which Way But Dead)

Kim Harrison is an excellent writer. I had book 3, but lost it during a move, so i was able to get a good used copy. The series definitely has it's ups and downs, but overall I really enjoy The Hallows series. If you are a Kim Harrison fan, I suggest giving this a read, but read the first and second book first so you get a good taste of the characters and their relationship. the vampire / witch relationship is a hard one, but at times very funny.

Very entertaining, I have six of these now, I lost interest for a while because a certain character ws killed off, but hey thats the way it goes in stories sometimes. Great reading for light entertainment...and very very imaginative too.

This is such a fun series, Rachel Morgan is one sassy witch. I plan on reading the whole series. I am really enjoying taking time to myself, get a glass of ice tea and settle down with the book and get lost in the world of the Hollows. Thank you Kim Harrison!