Action & Adventure
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Soul Taken (A Mercy Thompson Novel)
Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, must face her greatest fears in this chilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.
The vampire Wulfe is missing. Since he's deadly, possibly insane, and his current idea of "fun" is stalking me, some may see it as no great loss. But, warned that his disappearance might bring down the carefully constructed alliances that keep our pack safe, my mate and I must find Wulfe-and hope he's still alive. As alive as a vampire can be, anyway.
But Wulfe isn't the only one who has disappeared. And now there are bodies, too. Has the Harvester returned to the Tri-Cities, reaping souls with his cursed sickle? Or is he just a character from a B horror movie and our enemy is someone else?
The farther I follow Wulfe's trail, the more twisted-and darker-the path becomes. I need to figure out what's going on before the next body on the ground is mine.
The vampire Wulfe is missing. Since he's deadly, possibly insane, and his current idea of "fun" is stalking me, some may see it as no great loss. But, warned that his disappearance might bring down the carefully constructed alliances that keep our pack safe, my mate and I must find Wulfe-and hope he's still alive. As alive as a vampire can be, anyway.
But Wulfe isn't the only one who has disappeared. And now there are bodies, too. Has the Harvester returned to the Tri-Cities, reaping souls with his cursed sickle? Or is he just a character from a B horror movie and our enemy is someone else?
The farther I follow Wulfe's trail, the more twisted-and darker-the path becomes. I need to figure out what's going on before the next body on the ground is mine.
Editorial Reviews
Praise for the Mercy Thompson series
"I love these books."-Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Patricia Briggs never fails to deliver an exciting, magic- and fable-filled suspense story."-Erin Watt, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Royals series
"Patricia Briggs is an incredible writer....I love hanging out with the amazing characters in this series!"-Nalini Singh, New York Times bestselling author
"The best new urban fantasy series I've read in years."-#1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong
"Mercy Thompson [is] one of urban fantasy's best-loved heroines."-SF Site
"An excellent read with plenty of twists and turns....It left me wanting more."-#1 New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison, on Moon Called
"The world-building is incredibly lush....A fantastic urban fantasy adventure....A wonderful world to lose oneself in as a reader."-Fresh Fiction
"Briggs' careful and layered building of both her world and her characters is an iron-clad guarantee of an outstanding read! Fans will love this one!"-RT Book Reviews
"Briggs continues to surprise and intrigue readers with Mercy's inventiveness and intuition under duress."-Publishers Weekly
"Yet again, we see why Patricia Briggs is a master storyteller."-Literary Escapism
"I love these books."-Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Patricia Briggs never fails to deliver an exciting, magic- and fable-filled suspense story."-Erin Watt, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Royals series
"Patricia Briggs is an incredible writer....I love hanging out with the amazing characters in this series!"-Nalini Singh, New York Times bestselling author
"The best new urban fantasy series I've read in years."-#1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong
"Mercy Thompson [is] one of urban fantasy's best-loved heroines."-SF Site
"An excellent read with plenty of twists and turns....It left me wanting more."-#1 New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison, on Moon Called
"The world-building is incredibly lush....A fantastic urban fantasy adventure....A wonderful world to lose oneself in as a reader."-Fresh Fiction
"Briggs' careful and layered building of both her world and her characters is an iron-clad guarantee of an outstanding read! Fans will love this one!"-RT Book Reviews
"Briggs continues to surprise and intrigue readers with Mercy's inventiveness and intuition under duress."-Publishers Weekly
"Yet again, we see why Patricia Briggs is a master storyteller."-Literary Escapism
Readers Top Reviews
Book Addict
Been reading this series for a LONG time, and Patricia Briggs still manages to make you care about the characters, the stories are still action packed, witty, funny and original! There is alot of Urban fiction out there now compared to 15 years ago, and I tend to find there becomes a certain stereotype for both the main character and the way a story progresses, and given the length of this series you would expect it to become stale, or even repetitive but I've yet to find it so! I continually enjoy every story and the world she has built!
Kindle agdagd nott
From start finish I was caught in the Webb of Patricia Briggs story telling. Mercy and Adam do indeed make the best alpha s ever. Bread it in one sitting! Now have to catch up with the real world.
Kindle Kindle agda
I enjoyed this latest instalment of this series & it's always good to catch up with favourite characters who we, as readers, become quite fond of as a long running series progresses. I found the detailed history regarding Wulfe really did justice to his character overall as we have had hints of this & that over time but never too much of the whole picture. My advice as always is to start with the first book in this series as they follow on from each other and follow a timeline for a better enjoyment and understanding Enjoy 😉
Mary HeronKindle Ki
Always have loved this.series and have from the first book, though you do wait a long time for the next book to come that just makes them all the more precious. I have re-read the series many times but I feel I need to re-read this one right away. I feel as though I missed some plot points along the way ( or didn't pay enough attention) I also really didn't like the way the issue with the villain of the book was resolved. It's a good ending setting up for more in future books but I didn't like it. All in all there's not much wrong with the story, it's mainly a double header all Mercy and Adam which is good but everything seemed too easily resolved. Anyway am now anticipating her next books as we get some disturbing hints of major trouble for Samuel and Charles Cornick at the beginning of this story.
PatrooMary HeronKind
I always await the latest Mercy book from Patricia Briggs with great anticipation, and delighted in this latest installment. Mercy and Adam join the Goblin King in solving the mysterious disappearance of the vampire seethe, as well as her vampire friend, Stefan, and his family. When they begin to search out the disappearance of Wulfe, the ancient vampire who is a bit insane and a lot dangerous, they discover the other disappearances, plus local witches and more have gone missing. It's a public relations nightmare as the residents of the Tri-Cities area, both natural and un-natural, begin to wonder if they're safe there, as promised by the Columbia Basin Wolf Pack, or if they're being victimized by the Pack members. Packs have never before taken an interest in protecting non-members and the weak, but Mercy's off-the-cuff announcement of a sanctuary and promised protection has lured a lot of new residents of ALL kinds. These folk have always fled the strong and dangerous vampires and fey, and had just started to settle in, thinking they'd found a forever home. Was that a mistake on their part? Were they lured there as bait or prey? Cryptic communications tell Mercy that Stefan is still in existence, but it's mysterious as to his status. Wulfe might be killing people. Stefan might be killing people. There's more about Zee, the iron-kissed fae, in this book, and he plays a major part in the investigation. After a battle with spider-like fae, a mystic warning from Stefan sends Mercy to Zee to have her hands and feet inspected for any penetrating spines. It turns out that she has a significant infestation of the spines, which will turn into eggs and a nursery for fae if not removed. Zee spends hours cleaning the alien infestation from her body, then joins the search for a mysterious serial killer using a fae artifact to slice and dice people. Zee has always had a mission to search out fae artifacts, particularly magical and dangerous ones, and take them into his care so that they don't get into the wrong hands. The sickle used by The Harvester was presented to him 40 years ago, but now it looks as though he was fooled with a look-alike object. The walking stick has returned from disintegration and has resumed its duties as a guardian of Mercy. That's a good thing, because she's going to need all the help she can get.
Short Excerpt Teaser
1
"Mercy."
Adam peered down at me. His feral, golden eyes held my gaze. Only a few bits of darkness lingered in the bright depths, like bitter chocolate melting in butter. Icy rain dripped from his forehead onto my face, causing me to blink.
The gold was worrisome, I thought muzzily, wiping my cheek with a clumsy hand. I should pay attention to the dangerous gold in his eyes.
"Pretty," I said.
Someone stifled a laugh, but it wasn't Adam. His frown deepened.
I had just been . . . well, I couldn't remember exactly, but it had definitely not been lying on the wet ground, icy rain-or possibly very wet snow-sluicing down on my face as I stared up into Adam's wild eyes. I reached up with a hand that didn't want to obey and closed my fist on the collar of his shirt.
Though my brain still wasn't tracking quite right, it didn't take much thought to make a connection between the splendid headache that seemed to be centered around my temple and my position on the ground. Something must have hit me hard. I figured I'd be-cold water dripped on my cheek-right as rain in just a minute, but judging by Adam's expression, it might not be soon enough to prevent an explosion.
That could be bad. Worse than if Adam merely lost out to his wolf. His usual wolf. The flash memory of the twisted version of a David Cronenberg-inspired movie werewolf worrying at my throat with huge, already bloodstained teeth served to wake me more effectively than the cold water splashing my face from the skies above us had.
I sucked in a breath with a sudden surge of adrenaline that seemed to extinguish the last few dark bits of humanity in Adam's eyes even as it left me thinking more clearly. Neither he nor I knew if the vicious monster the witch Elizaveta had cursed him to become when she died was gone or merely biding its time.
Adam had warned the pack about the possibility that he could turn into something more dangerous, a monster that he couldn't always control. But in true werewolf fashion, they seemed to look upon it as a new superpower Adam had achieved rather than the terrifying threat it was. They hadn't witnessed it firsthand.
After the full moon had come and only Adam's usual wolf form had answered that call, Adam had been relieved. His temper, already easily roused, had continued to be on an even-shorter-than-usual fuse, but I thought that could be attributed to the unusual strain of the past few months. And yet . . .
I examined my mate's face for a hint of the monster and saw . . . Adam. He carried the experiences of this past year, and despite the werewolf-bestowed youth, his eyes looked older. There was a tightness to his features due to the bite of Elizaveta's curse and the various horrors of the past few months. He still had the confident air that was so much a part of him, but now it looked as though it was riding a war-weary soldier.
I tugged a little harder on the collar of his shirt.
He blinked and a ring of darkness solidified around the outside of his irises. Reassured, I tugged hard enough to choke him, ignoring the soreness this spawned in the newly healed muscle of my right arm where an assassin had shot me shortly before Adam's monster had eaten her.
I couldn't have pulled Adam down to me if he hadn't wanted to come. He was a werewolf and I wasn't. I could have levered myself to him, but I didn't have to make the effort. He bent down and brushed my lips lightly, with a wry tilt of one eyebrow that told me he knew what I was up to but he was willing to play my game.
He sat all the way down on the ground, ignoring the slushy mud, and hauled me into his lap. It was like sitting on a furnace. My whole body softened into him, into his warmth and the rich smell of home. For a half second there was another scent, a more rank scent-or maybe that was just my imagination, because when I inhaled again, I smelled only Adam.
I leaned my head into his shoulder, which was as hard as stone. That wasn't just because he was tense with anger; he was just in that kind of shape. What little softness there had been was worn away, l...
"Mercy."
Adam peered down at me. His feral, golden eyes held my gaze. Only a few bits of darkness lingered in the bright depths, like bitter chocolate melting in butter. Icy rain dripped from his forehead onto my face, causing me to blink.
The gold was worrisome, I thought muzzily, wiping my cheek with a clumsy hand. I should pay attention to the dangerous gold in his eyes.
"Pretty," I said.
Someone stifled a laugh, but it wasn't Adam. His frown deepened.
I had just been . . . well, I couldn't remember exactly, but it had definitely not been lying on the wet ground, icy rain-or possibly very wet snow-sluicing down on my face as I stared up into Adam's wild eyes. I reached up with a hand that didn't want to obey and closed my fist on the collar of his shirt.
Though my brain still wasn't tracking quite right, it didn't take much thought to make a connection between the splendid headache that seemed to be centered around my temple and my position on the ground. Something must have hit me hard. I figured I'd be-cold water dripped on my cheek-right as rain in just a minute, but judging by Adam's expression, it might not be soon enough to prevent an explosion.
That could be bad. Worse than if Adam merely lost out to his wolf. His usual wolf. The flash memory of the twisted version of a David Cronenberg-inspired movie werewolf worrying at my throat with huge, already bloodstained teeth served to wake me more effectively than the cold water splashing my face from the skies above us had.
I sucked in a breath with a sudden surge of adrenaline that seemed to extinguish the last few dark bits of humanity in Adam's eyes even as it left me thinking more clearly. Neither he nor I knew if the vicious monster the witch Elizaveta had cursed him to become when she died was gone or merely biding its time.
Adam had warned the pack about the possibility that he could turn into something more dangerous, a monster that he couldn't always control. But in true werewolf fashion, they seemed to look upon it as a new superpower Adam had achieved rather than the terrifying threat it was. They hadn't witnessed it firsthand.
After the full moon had come and only Adam's usual wolf form had answered that call, Adam had been relieved. His temper, already easily roused, had continued to be on an even-shorter-than-usual fuse, but I thought that could be attributed to the unusual strain of the past few months. And yet . . .
I examined my mate's face for a hint of the monster and saw . . . Adam. He carried the experiences of this past year, and despite the werewolf-bestowed youth, his eyes looked older. There was a tightness to his features due to the bite of Elizaveta's curse and the various horrors of the past few months. He still had the confident air that was so much a part of him, but now it looked as though it was riding a war-weary soldier.
I tugged a little harder on the collar of his shirt.
He blinked and a ring of darkness solidified around the outside of his irises. Reassured, I tugged hard enough to choke him, ignoring the soreness this spawned in the newly healed muscle of my right arm where an assassin had shot me shortly before Adam's monster had eaten her.
I couldn't have pulled Adam down to me if he hadn't wanted to come. He was a werewolf and I wasn't. I could have levered myself to him, but I didn't have to make the effort. He bent down and brushed my lips lightly, with a wry tilt of one eyebrow that told me he knew what I was up to but he was willing to play my game.
He sat all the way down on the ground, ignoring the slushy mud, and hauled me into his lap. It was like sitting on a furnace. My whole body softened into him, into his warmth and the rich smell of home. For a half second there was another scent, a more rank scent-or maybe that was just my imagination, because when I inhaled again, I smelled only Adam.
I leaned my head into his shoulder, which was as hard as stone. That wasn't just because he was tense with anger; he was just in that kind of shape. What little softness there had been was worn away, l...
