Downpour (Greywalker Series #6)

Atmospheric and Absorbing

This sixth Greywalker novel is absorbing, atmospheric and richly descriptive. Harper is convincing and sympathetic as a recovering investigator who stumbles upon a cold case murder steeped in magic that occurred in a lakeside area of Washington's Upper Peninsula. After identifying the murder victim, she reluctantly takes on the task of uncovering the murderer and sorting out the magical sinkhole that exists within Crescent Lake.

The gloomy physical descriptions, from the inclement weather to the eerie landscape, provide the perfect backdrop for the strange magical energy that pools and swirls in and around Crescent Lake. During her investigation, Harper interacts with suspicious magic practitioners, Chinese demons, vanishing ghosts and a bizarre ley line weaver. Reanimated dead also make notable appearances within the story.

Harper is challenged on all fronts. Her ability to manipulate the Grey, the ghostly realm shot through with magical energies and guarded by a powerful dragon-like gatekeeper, has diminished following her recent death and return to life. Further, she hasn't fully recovered from the gunshot wound that killed her. Plus, her steadfast, geek boyfriend, Quinton, is suddenly avoiding her and acting mysterious. And, her investigation presents multiple problems including completely unknown surroundings, aberrant magical energy, unsettling supernatural beings and hostile lake residents. Even the weather is an endurance test.

The narrative is fast paced, suspenseful and fascinating. There are unpredictable twists and periodic action sequences. The investigative plot culminates in a magically spectacular climax. Although the identity of the killer becomes obvious before the Harper conducts a classic round up of the suspects, reader attention is riveted throughout the story by the spooky lake area, aberrant magical energy within the lake and cast of human and inhuman characters/entities. Furthermore, the romantic sub-plot between Harper and Quinton is engrossing and emotionally engaging.

I recommend this book to all urban fantasy fans and anyone who enjoys eerie supernatural stories and/or atmospheric mysteries. Note the story is completely self-contained. Explanations of relevant past events are revealed within the text. Consequently, the book may be read and understood without reading the earlier installments. Nonetheless, complete enjoyment is enhanced by full knowledge of all the books.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

a fabulous paranormal private investigative thriller

Harper Blaine has died several times. Each time she enters the Big Sleep state lasts for a few minutes until she returns to the living changed to continue her life's work as a shmo who protects the Grey fringe between the mortal and purebred paranormal realms. However shmo work of a Greywalker pays nothing monetarily as vamps are cheap and ghosts lost their funding to their heirs; subsequently feel good paranormal social work with the other side is not very financially rewarding; don't ask about her love life. Harper makes a living as a Seattle private investigator mostly doing background checks.

Lawyer Nanette Grover hires Harper to do some pretrial investigation of a potential witness Daria Shea a handyman worker in the Lake Crescent area of the Peninsular. Completing her interview with the creepy Shea, Harper leaves only to see a burning car. She runs to free the driver, but her hand goes through the vehicle. The ghost showed her his fiery death and says it was no accident; his name is Steven. After taking care of Grover's requirement that pays the bills, Harper makes inquiries into a Steven dying in a SUV fire and comes up with Steven Leung. As the Greywalker digs into the Leung death, she begins to fear something evil resides in Blood Lake Crescent protected by affluent magic practitioners.

The latest Greywalker urban fantasy is a fabulous paranormal private investigative thriller as the heroine makes inquiries into a potential homicide made to look like an accident (at least that is what the ghost claims) and background into a strange unsettling worker. The story line is fast-paced and filled with action as the heroine confronts ghosts, zombies, demons and a creature much darker and more powerful.

Harriet Klausner

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

riveting from page one

This series gets better with every book. Richardson has been compared to Chandler and that comparison couldn't be more correct. While conducting a pre-trial investigation in the Olympic Peninsula, our protagonist Harper Blaine, sees a ghostly car accident whose victim insists that he was murdered and that the community of Sunset Lakes is to blame. While investigating, she must unravel the secrets at Blood Lake and stop the Grey things from controling the area before it becomes a threat. Kat Richardson should be extremly proud of this masterpiece.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Story, Fantastic Characters, even more Fantastic Author

Downpour
By Kat Richardson
Copyright August 2011
Publisher ROC

Harper Blaine was your average small-time PI until she died, for two minutes. Now Harper is a Greywalker, treading the thin line between the living world and the paranormal realm. And she's discovering that her new abilities are landing her in all sorts of "strange" cases.
After being shot in the back and dying-again- Greywalker Harper Blaine's only respite from the chaos is her work. But while conducting a pre-trial investigation in the Olympic Peninsula, she sees a ghostly car accident whose victim insists that he was murdered and that the nearby community of Sunset Lakes is to blame.

Harper soon learns that the icy waters of the lake hide a terrible power, and a host of hellish beings under the thrall of a sinister cabal that will use the darkest of arts to achieve their fiendish ends.

Harper was doing some pretrial investigating for Nannette Grover, an attorney who was a steady client. Driving home from what she thought was a wasted interview, Harper had an unexpected vision while driving home of what appeared to be an accident. An SUV on fire pushed up against a tree. She backs up and goes to see if she can help. She gets to the SUV as the ghost floats out of his burned out SUV. He tells her that it wasn't an accident, and then she asks him his name, he says Steven. He wants her "Family... Blood Lake, we should never.. " and fades away, leaving Harper more curious than ever.
The Olympic Peninsula is not Harper's usual territory and she finds it extremely uncomfortable there. She heads back home, going into Nannette's office to file her report on the supposed witness which brought her to the Peninsula.
This is the sixth book in the Greywalker series and the first that takes her out of her comfort zone, making her really stretch to find a killer or killers, and solve the mystery of Blood Lake. I found the book not only an enjoyable read, but also an interesting and multi threaded plot line. I highly recommend the entire Greywalker series to lovers of Urban Fantasy and Mysteries.
FTC Full Disclosure: This book was sent to me by the publisher, requesting a fair review.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Read ... ended too soon!

This has been a fun series to read. Kat Richardson really makes this world come alive. I recommend anyone that likes the mix of reality and otherworld to begin from book one and enjoy the entire series.

Great addition to the series

Really like the way the real and supernatural go hand in hand. Could easily be a good PI story with no Grey at all.

Read this series!

Harper Blaine is back as the Greywalker Private Investigator. In this book Harper is called upon to investigate a car accident by a ghost. She seeks to find the cause of the accident as she finds the ghosts family.
This is one of the best series and one I recommend to everyone.

Wonderful

Got an advanced copy as one of kats minions! Wonderful

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