When the FBI requests the pack’s help on a local serial-killer case, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston to join the investigation. It soon becomes clear that someone is targeting the preternatural. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer’s sights…
Comment: This is another series I'm trying to catch up. Next month I'll read the latest installment but this time I dived into Fair Game which is said to be one of the fan's favorites and I was curious to see if I'd feel different (for better) reading it too.
In this third full length installment of the Alpha and Omega series by ms Briggs, we find a tired and guilty Charles who has a lot to deal with, both physically and mentally. He's trying to protect Anna but of course, she only feels he's not trusting her.
Nothing like a good distraction to keep one's head busy and attentive to other things, so Charles and Anna are sent to investigate a murder case where some victims were werewolves.
In there will Charles be able to help or his problems will get in the way?
Apparently this story is where we see Charles in all his glory, but honestly I don't think it was that much better than in the other books. Sure, I like him and his personality, his quiet take on things, his love for Anna, the wisdom of his link to his Wolf - which isn't easy for other werewolves to have - due to his birth circumstances, his need to peace after any job because of the nature of it.
Yes, Charles is a great character and he has that mix of vulnerability in terms of relationship dealings, of balancing what he wants to what he thinks he should do and the identity he has as the "hit man" for his father.
But is he acting so much different, so much better in this book that he was in others? I really don't see that, unless people are focusing on the fact he admits guilt and how that is natural but unnecessary faced with the dark task he performs.
Anyway, the characters do have a very detailed personality and I think this is one of the author's best features, how she imprints truth and a perfect structure to her characters and the connections between them. I really can't fault any "world" where the author manages this so well.
As for the plot, again, it was well thought. At some point I started to have my idea about who the bad guy was but there are always elements that I can't put a finger on and that's great, if we could guess everything all the time what fun could it be? The imagination to create the villains and all the little details about murders and killings is something that keeps surprising me in thriller authors but so many paranormal/urban fantasy/ fantasy authors do it so well... how interesting to think a simple suspense story in the hands of ms Briggs.
As usual though, my favorite thing is the images we get of how this world works, how society is build and the connections between characters. This author - along a few others - is perfect in this aspect, like here's some sort of better skill or something I can't explain about them that allows them to write these parts better, that lets them put things on the page in a better style.
I like these things, like the slow developing relationship between Charles and Anna and why it is so, or the influence Bran has and why, I mean, things aren't on ms Briggs novels just because, I like she takes time to explain, to explore, to develop personal relationships so I can hope for more and be happy about it.
Of course, being a primarily romance reader I wish I could see more romance developing but who knows, sometimes the best scenes are the ones we don't seem to give much importance to, right?
All in all, this is a good book. It has a superb structure, a well shaped story from previous installments, has a good separation between the characters we love and the main story we're reading about but it all meshes together. Sure, I can see where I'd change a small detail here and there and despite my enjoyment I still think there's room to improve or things that being there would strengthen my taste based on what I prefer to see in books, but all things considered, this is a solid read and another good example of the author's talent.
Next month will be more.
Grade: 8/10
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