Blackout

The long awaited sixth novel in the Cal Leandros series is a thrill. One part bromance + one part comic relief + two parts kicking ass = a hilarious romp in NYC. Our favourite baddy battling trio of Cal, Niko, and Goodfellow are at it again but this time it's a little more challenging. As in Cal wakes up with amnesia, he can remember that he's a killer and that monsters exist but doesn't know who he is or that he has a brother. Enter an ancient Egyptian "goddess" named Ammut who sucks the life force out of living beings and we've got trouble.

If you are a fan of Peter Pan then you will appreciate all of the references made to the tale in this novel. When Cal wakes up he finds himself in Nevah's Landing, one of the many stops his gypsy mother had made when he was a kid to pull a con or two for money. It just so happens that this is also the place where Niko first told Cal the story of Peter Pan and a creepy albino crocodile with razor sharp teeth keeps popping up in Cal's mind as a sort of echo to the tale. Through the voice of this crocodile Cal is able to remember somewhat about parts of himself...

A large portion of the novel is spent with Cal in the dark, but it is interesting to see what he could be if he were only human. With that said, the Auphe portion of Cal seems to have disappeared along with his memories. It is also moving to see how much Niko can sacrifice his own happiness for the that of his brother.While he slowly regains his memory Cal is able to help out with the extermination of our trio's latest paying monster extermination gig. A council of supernaturals have formed and requested the services of Niko, Cal, and Goodfellow to rid them of Ammut, a dangerous and old being whose favourite pass time is snacking on the life essence of supernatural beings since humans aren't as satisfying.

One of Rob Thurman's specialties appears to be throwing in a twist that you would not expect and you definitely get that part way through the novel, don't worry I won't spoil that for you!
Rob Thurman