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Suzanne McLeod captivated readers with The Sweet Scent of Blood, her debut and the first novel in the Spellcrackers.com series, starring Genevieve (Genny) Taylor, the only sidhe fae in London. McLeod continues strong with the second installment in the series, The Cold Kiss of Death, using her talent for character and plot development to weave a complex plot that will enthrall readers. Genny works for Spellcrackers, a witch-owned business, that cleans up magical messes. Genny can crack spells and absorb magic, but her ability to actually cast spells remains pitifully weak. A ghost, whom Genny calls Cosette, haunts her, unwanted invitations from vampires flood her mailbox and, while she still has her job at Spellcrackers, powerful witches want her to move out of her apartment. Her position is precarious: without the witches protection, she will be prey for the vampires who likely have their own motives. Then Hannah, the accountant for the now-dead Earl, offers her a vampire of her own to satiate the 3V running through her veins rather than taking pills that don't really help. All she wants in return is a Fabergé egg the Earl gave Genny as a present awhile ago. To complicate matters, Genny walks into the murder scene of her friend Tomas, a local baker, and the police think she's the killer. So Genny goes on the run from the cops and ends up trying to hide from powerful members of London's supernatural community as well. And that's just in the first 75 pages or so.

This plot twists and turns, and few people are as they appear. With the help of her boss, the satyr named Finn; another friend, a kelpie named Tavish; and the vampire, Malik al-Khan whom she can't decide if she loves or hates, Genny might just divine what's happened and show the world she's innocent. But she doesn't have much time…

I've barely scratched the surface of this engaging second novel from McLeod as far as plot or characters, but suffice it to say, it's fabulous! Those who have read the first book will want to devour this in a sitting as I almost did, and for those who haven't read The Sweet Scent of Blood, I recommend reading it first. This series is best read in order.

McLeod introduces a few new characters such as Tavish the kelpie into the mix, but she also focuses on digging deeper into the characters she has already created. She fills in some details on Genny's background as well which complicate things for the sidhe fae even more. This novel delves deeper into mystical territory and explores concepts like soul exchange in addition to traditional chase and other action scenes. McLeod has an immeasurable talent for complex plots, and this reader was continually surprised, always the sign of a successful author. The third book in the series, The Bitter Seed of Magic is due out next month, and even more good news, McLeod has a contract from Gollancz for books 4-6.

Katherine Petersen started reading as a young child and hasn't stopped. She still thinks she can read all the books she wants, but might, at some point, realize the impossibility of this mission. While she enjoys other genres, she thrives on fantasy, science fiction and mysteries.