Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1) by Patricia Briggs

This post is going to be unabashedly adulatory; I am a huge fan of Patricia Briggs‘ urban fantasy and frequently re-read her books.  I’m less keen on her more traditional fantasy, like The Hob’s Bargain, but this could be because her urban fantasy is so satisfying and sets the bar pretty high, making her older work pale in comparison.

Moon Called is the first book in Briggs’ series about Mercy Thompson, a mechanic who also happens to be a walker, capable of magically shifting into a coyote.  The author has created a wonderful world for these stories, filled with other supernatural groups, including werewolves, witches, the fae and vampires.  All of her characters have distinct personalities, the dialogue is really crisp, and the plot moves forward at a great pace, with lots of twists and turns.

This is one of those books that I enjoy more every time I read it.  The first time through, I was so desperate to find out what would happen that I devoured it in one sitting.  With each consecutive read, I still go through pretty quickly because the story remains compelling, but I can focus more on the details now that I know what’s going to happen and it makes me love the story even more.

I would recommend this book to just about anyone, so long as they’re interested in the supernatural or paranormal.  It’s just such a well-crafted story.  I’ve lent the book to several friends and not one of them has said they didn’t like it; I think that’s pretty high praise since some of these folks have pretty different taste in reading material.