Don't Kill the Messenger

Eileen Rendahl's latest is a departure from her previous books, which were fun and romantic women's fiction. With Don't Kill the Messenger, her humor still shines in the main character Melina, but she adds enough action and conflict to satisfy the most die-hard urban fantasy fans. The world is different enough to set it apart from many of the other paranormal books in print, putting a fresh twist into every action-packed moment. Melina's character is real in her frustration with not really knowing everything about who and what she is and wondering if she'll figure it out before someone close to her dies. I'd heard how great the book was from several friends, and they were totally right. Couldn't put it down!

I've read hundreds, possibly thousands of sci/fi-fantasy books since my first Andre Norton book in 1965. It can be a little bit difficult to impress me. Of course I like all the best sellers like Kim Harrison and Charlaine Harris, Kelly Armstrong.. speaking of which I thought about their first books on the best seller list about the same thing I'm saying here. This is SERIOUSLY GOOD. There is enough characters, whimsy, plot, everything. I like darker books too, some that are a bit gritty for the average person. But this is more on the light level. Which is great too. We need about ten or so sequels. Other reviewers have touched more in detail on whats in the book so I dont see any need to go there. I'm just going to say that upon reading this book I'm feeling the same sense of interest and hunger that I have for the finest of books in the past. There are more of course, I have about 40 favorite authors, but I'm just mentioning the better known ones. What is it that makes one with similar elements so much better? I'm not sure, but when I read one, I know it. So If you are wondering if this book should hit your shelf or kindle or you should try something else, I suggest you go for this one. Besides the more of you that buy this one the more likely I'll get those sequels...

Melina's brush with death as a child wins her magical powers and a new glamorous job - oh wait - yes to the magic but no to the glamour. Melina is now a delivery girl, carrying messages between members of the hidden Arcane population of Sacremento, a job with no perks and no pay and no say - when Melina gets a delivery request, she has to see it through or else suffer karmic curses 'til she gets the job done. Melina's just struggling along trying to make ends meet with two other normal everyday jobs to pay her bills, when an innocuous seeming delivery ends up landing Melina in the middle of a bloody magical conspiracy. Melina's used to being alone and looking out for just herself, but when someone has to 'step up' to keep the magical spillover from taking mundane lives when the movers and shakers of the Arcane world say, 'not my problem', Melina will discover that even a 'grunt' can make a difference and that she doesn't 'have' to be alone anymore. There was a great deal I liked about Don't Kill the Messenger, but what sets Rendahl's new series starter apart in the increasingly crowded urban fantasy field is the fact that the heroine's life is so mundane, all while she's surrounded by vampires, werewolves, imps, witches and hot cops. I also thought that it was refreshing that Melina doesn't end up having to hide her nature and her world from her love interest. Of course, being the heroine, she gets two possible love interests, the affore mentioned bodacious 'White Knight' of a police officer and an icily cool vampire doctor - one who takes a doctor's requisite cold hands to a whole new frigid level, but who has a pretty amazing philosophy for dealing with his immortal existence. I liked Melina alot - which is so important with a first person heroine - and the fact that she has to finally leave the whining about her fate behind and actually grow up, added to her appeal. I also liked the way that this loner, ends up collecting a 'crew' by the end of the book and look forward to seeing how the events in the book, change her relationships and her role - from mentored to mentor, as the series continues with Dead On Delivery in 2011.

Melina Markowitz is a messenger. She didn't plan on being a messenger and she isn't always happy to make her "deliveries". Neverthless, she does her job when she is forced to. Who she is a messenger to, is more interesting than the fact that she is a messenger. She delivers packages, notes and other important items to members of the "arcane" which includes vampires, werewolves and other "creatures". Melina screws up one of her deliveries. It's not really her fault but the consequences are hers to bare regardless. She is attacked by a group of Ninjas (yes Ninjas) and never delivers a vampire to vampire delivery. Because she failed at her delivery, she tries to recover the item. This is where the story becomes even more unique and interesting. Melina uncovers more than she should when investigating where her missing delivery went. In fact, she stumbles into a vicious gang war. Not your ordinary gang war but a war involving Chinese vampires and the master that controls them(it totally works in this story as weird as it sounds). Melina makes serious mistakes along the way but she also learns about herself and her abilities. There is a love relationship but it only adds to the story. I loved how unique the entire story was. It's hard to be unique even though you are writing about vampires and werewolves. It seems that some of the authors are unwilling to take risks and they stick with the same stereotypical blood sucking, devilishly handsome vampire mold. The author goes way beyond the stereotypes in this book. This is why I loved it so much.

Plot Summary: "Don't Kill the Messenger" takes a look at the supernatural world through the eyes of its resident gopher, Melina Markowitz. She's an unwilling member of the `arcane,' which includes vampires, werewolves, and witches, and all the while poor Melina longs to be a normal `mundane.' When Melina is attacked by a pack of ninjas while doing a simple vampire-to-vampire delivery, she tries to recover the stolen package and stumbles into a gang war. She's just the messenger, she tells herself, but when innocent people start getting hurt, Melina decides to behead the snake in charge. I applaud Eileen Rendahl for bringing a fresh, new idea to the table. Melina is little better than an indentured servant in this supernatural world, and she's forced to act as a bizarre mailman between hostile parties. For her troubles she receives no pay, but the job has its perks. She is faster, stronger, and more impervious than the average human, and best of all she hardly needs any sleep, which is good because she has to work two normal jobs to pay the rent. I thought it was a unique twist to follow a heroine who is at the bottom of the supernatural hierarchy, and one who doesn't particularly want to be there either. I'm truly surprised that Penguin is marketing this book as a paranormal romance when everything about it screams "Urban Fantasy!" to me. While it certainly has a nice little romance, it's not the focus of the story at all. Paranormal romances also tend to have more than one sex scene, and devote a lot more time to the steamy details. That said, I think "Don't Kill the Messenger" is a prime candidate to appeal to a cross-over crowd of both UF and PNR fans. According to an interview I read on Bitten By Books, Ms. Rendahl is working on a sequel called "Dead on Delivery." Look for it February 2011.