Dead Man Rising (Dante Valentine, Book 2)

Dead Man Rising, a sequel to Working for the Devil, is extremely entertaining. This book picks up where Working for the Devil left off. Her demon lover, Japh, is dead and she is mourning his loss. We get more insight into Danny's past in this second book. We learn more about her childhood experiences at Rigger Hall that gives you a feel for why Dante Valentine is the way she is. She is tough, smart and at times a little vulnerable. This was a side of her you didn't see too much of in the first novel. This book also had a very good mystery murder plot. Psions are being killed and her friend Gabe calls her in to help in the investigation. I acutally enjoyed this book more than the first book, but both are excellent reading and highly recommended.

I have read a few of Ms. Saintcrows other titles. However, decent to read, they are NOT part of my all time favorite books, EXCEPT for the Dante Valentine Series, it is fast-paced, well written, and humourus. I am not too big into mushy love stories, but can stomach the love story in this series. All in all both Working for the Devil and Dead Man Rising are excellent books, and worth taking the time to read.

I wasn't sure how Lilith Saintcrow was going to top the first book "Working for the Devil". But she has an its fantastic. After the shocking end in "Working for the Devil", Dante is just trying to bury herself in bounty after bounty. Even tho sometimes no matter how hard you try to run away from the past with all its pain and losses you end up running right into it. In this book that is exactly what Dante has to do before she can move on to her future. And true to Lilith Saintcrow form this has some shocking turns that just keeps you heart racing and you cant help but think "did that just happen". I think that is what makes these books stand out. The heroine doesn't always come to the rescue. As mentioned by other reviewers you can read this on its own but the only way to really enjoy it is to read her first book. These characters get under your skin and you need to understand them to appreciate this book. That shouldn't be too difficult because I guarantee that if your do read this first you will want to know the whole story from the beginning.

She is THE Dante "Danny" Valentine, world-class Necromance who retired at the top of her game after a hush-hush bounty hunt that nobody can dig up any information on except for the Nuevo Rio Mob War. (Previous book "Working For the Devil".) She was genetically altered by a Fallen demon, Japhrimel "Japh". Danny still has the mark upon her left shoulder, where Lucifer made Japh her familiar. No one would have ever believed it had they been informed that there was one thing that terrified Dante almost to the brink of death - Rigger Hall. Until the age of thirteen, Dante had her caseworker, Lewis. When he died, Dante's life became a living nightmare. She was a collared girl pushed into the Hegemony Psi program. An orphan sent into Rigger Hall. Headmaster Mirovitch ruled Rigger Hall with an iron fist. No one knew he was a Feeder. He was well-camouflaged. The school was his private playground filled with disposable psions. To keep her sanity, Danny has blocked out everything about that time. But now psychics all over are being brutally murdered. The school is the only link. Dante must face her past or there may not BE a future. Things get even worse when Lucifer calls her. He is looking for Dante's lover - the one he has already killed. As strange as that sounds, Danny has no time or urge to contemplate the Devil's lies. She has no idea which fiend or friend to trust. Her time is running out, in more ways than one. ***** Almost as excellent as the first. Readers who pay close attention will (sometimes) see some clues as to what will happen in Dante's near future. Since Dante is secondarily gifted with precognition, I thought these flashes to be a brilliant addition to the story. BRAVA! Author Lilith Saintcrow fleshes out her main characters even more in this novel. Danny was made even more believable to me when I learned that she actually has some flaws. New characters are introduced as well. Danny makes some powerful new friends that may come in handy during the next episode. On that note, according to the teaser chapter at the end of this story, the next Dante Valentine novel will be released in July 2007 and titled "The Devil's Right Hand". Highly recommended reading! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

After the emotional slap-in-the-face of Working For The Devil I should have been prepared for Dead Man Rising. I wasn't. However, I cannot deny that I enjoyed the heck out of every page. Ms Saintcrow's first person narrative leans toward overly melodramatic macabre at times, but since Dante is a bit of a self-centered, self-absorbed, drama queen, it works. If you liked Anita Hamilton's earlier works, you're sure to enjoy Saintcrow's Dante Valentine series.