Three Days to Dead-Kelley Meding

Three Days to Dead
Kelley Meding
Dell, Nov 24 2009$7.99
ISBN-0553592866

Triad supernatural bounty hunter Evangeline “Evy” Stone is confused when she wakes up naked on a slab in the morgue. Worse yet she does not know who she is or why she fails to recognize her bruised body; that of Chalice Frost. Her only memory is that of her handler Wyatt Truman; so she must find him in a city of a half of million.

Wyatt explains he brought her back to life; her Triad partners long dead. She had been tortured, but died before she could explain what she learned of an alliance between The Bloods vampire gang and the Goblin horde. If true, humanity is dead. She also learns she has 72 hours to live in this body before dying again. Three days to find out if the unholy alliance is true and who killed her and her partners at a time when her former bounty hunter peers believe she had her two teammates murdered.

This is a terrific urban fantasy starring a fascinating lead protagonist back from the dead to complete a mission before she returns to the dead while her former cronies want her dead (talk about finding a life). The story line is fast-paced and vividly descriptive so that the audience will believe in this paranormal realm, but setting the physics of the Meding mythos somewhat detracts from the investigation by Evy-Chalice. Still Three Days to dead is an exciting first tale with a solid premise that should contain strong sequels.

Harriet Klausner