roadkill.

It's time to lock, load, and hit the road...

Once, while half-human Cal Leandros and his brother Niko were working on a case, an ancient gypsy queen gave them a good old-fashioned backstabbing. Now, just as their P.I. business hits a slow patch, the old crone shows up with a job.

She wants them to find a stolen coffin that contains a blight that makes the Black Death seem like a fond memory. But the thief has already left town, so the Leandros brothers are going on the road. And if they're very, very lucky, there might even be a return trip...

This review contains spoilers.

I can not say, in good conscience, that this was a good book. It was without a doubt the worst of the series so far. As I regard Deathwish (the book immediately preceeding this one) as the best of the series, I felt completely let down and disappointed.

Very quickly, I will run down the problems I had with Roadkill. First, it was a long, drawn out story with no boom at the end. Cal, Niko, Robin, Delilah, Rafferty, and Catcher (Rafferty's cousin) are hunting down Suyolak, the Plague of the World. When they finally get to him with all of 1 page left (I'm exaggerating, but really it might've been 20-30), the battle is short and, at the risk of being redundant, boring. Not your typical Cal + Nik type of showdown.

Another problem I had is directly related to the first. This installment seemed to serve no purpose other than informing us of the progression of relationships. We learn about Cal + Delilah, Robin + Ishiah, and Rafferty + Catcher. And Cal's flirtation with his Auphe side. Otherwise, the book seemed pointless.

Next up - Delilah. I've been passive, indifferent even about this particular character. I should have hated her, because of her part in the continued absence of Georgina (where is Georgina?!), but I decided to let it go. Well, no more. I don't like her and I wish one of the characters would put her out of my misery already. Seriously.

The ending was just... there. My expectations for Roadkill were high, I can admit that. Very, very high. Partly because I loved Deathwish so much and partly because readers seemed really into this book (or so I gleaned from Twitter). Apparently, Thurman's goal was to make people cry. Me? I rolled my eyes at the end. I have waited almost a year to read this book. Because I feared character death or some tragic situation (neither occurred) , I waited until I got my hands on Blackout before reading Roadkill. Well, guess what? I need not have spent that time waiting. There was absolutely no need for me to do so.

[insert sigh here] Since I have a TBR pile a mile high, I'm sliding Blackout down a few spots. The only thing that might have made me rush to read the next book is the fact that Cal frighteningly becomes more Auphe in this book. I mean, he's turning into a true killer. But even that is just not enough. As I write this, I am starting a book I am almost certain I won't like. [insert second sigh here] If you have a book suggestion for me, please share. I've been reading nothing but duds here! Save me!