Frost Moon-Anthony Francis

Frost Moon
Anthony Francis
Bell Bridge Books, Mar 1 2010, $16.95
www.bellbridgebooks.com
ISBN: 9780984325689

In Atlanta six foot plus Mohawk wearing Dakota Frost runs the Rogue Unicorn in Little Five Points. She claims to be the best kick-butt magical tattooist in the Southeast. Her clients include witches and shapeshifters as she is a super skindancing tattooist. Dakota hates bloodsuckers like Republicans and vampires; in her mind both rule the world with one more overt about their dining on others.

Atlanta Police department Homicide detective Rand, who is close to Dakota’s father, asks her to come to the station. There he shows her evidence of ripped off human skin with a tattoo on it pinned to a board. Rand asks Dakota questions as to what the magical tattoo does; she says it is the work of Richard Sumner, buried in Cincinnati in 2005. Rand says he needs her help open the case where as the normally offensive amazon just wants to puke as the wood is actually a box containing more epidermis. Obviously a serial killer is murdering the tattooed. She knows if she assists the cops and Feds, she will be drawn away from drinking coffee at gentile outdoor cafes with patrons like witches into the darkest slum of the city; Edgeworld where the nastiest paranormal live amidst the tormented souls.

Although too much of the Francis universe is introduced in the first SKINDANCER urban fantasy, fans will enjoy this terrific paranormal amateur sleuth. In many ways the story line reads like an otherworldly noir starring the latest six foot plus kick butt female tattooist (see Ellie Jasper’s Dark Ink Chronicles and Karen E. Olson’s The Tattoo Shop). Dakota’s take no prisoners’ investigation provides readers with the vivid vision of Anthony Francis’ Atlanta Underground inside an exhilarating thriller.

Harriet Klausner