THE WILD ROAD - Marjorie M. Liu
A Dirk & Steele Novel
Leisure
ISBN: 978-0-8439-5939-0
August 2008
Paranormal Romance

Chicago, Illinois and Indiana - Present Day

She wakes to the smell of smoke in a hotel room, with no idea who she is. The three dead bodies on the floor, covered in blood, are not reassuring, so she takes the advice on the note pinned to her shirt and runs. Instinct warns her to steer clear of the emergency personnel on scene to put out the fire, but she has no memory to guide her to someplace safe.

Though glad to see his oldest friend, Frederick, again, Lannes Hannelore is anxious to leave behind the crowded city of Chicago and return to his home in Maine. In order to blend in with humanity, Lannes must hide his true form, that of a gargoyle. Needing to stretch his wings the night before he’s to leave, Lannes takes a walk late at night and finds a woman trying to break into his car. He recognizes the look in her eyes -- cornered and afraid -- and offers to help her. When she faints, Lannes takes matters into his own hands and returns to Frederick’s house where he attempts to heal her wounds.

Another note, left on Frederick’s doorstep, advises Lannes and the woman to find Orwell Price and to run. So, after Lannes contacts his brother, who works for the Dirk & Steele Detective Agency, they run again. Finding Orwell Price doesn’t offer any answers though, only more questions and a startling discovery: not only are the woman’s memories gone, but someone else -- something else -- has the ability to enter her mind and control her actions.

THE WILD ROAD is the latest thrilling novel involving the Dirk and Steele Detective Agency. To most, the agency is just what it claims to be, but many of the detectives are not entirely human, and they work together to protect humanity from those seeking to destroy it. While Lannes isn’t a part of the agency, and THE WILD ROAD is focused mainly on the story between Lannes and the mystery woman, I’d recommend reading the previous stories first to better understand the connections.

A solitary gargoyle, Lannes doesn’t spend much time with humans, but something about the woman pulls him from the moment they meet. After their visit to Price, Lannes begins to suspect that the woman (who doesn’t get a name until more than halfway through the book) is more than she seems. In spite of the terror her lack of memory causes, the woman handles things the best she can, even when things get really strange. The mystery is well-written, leaving readers guessing until the end, and hoping that both Lannes and the woman, lonely in their own ways, can find a happily-ever-after. A captivating tale, don’t miss THE WILD ROAD.

Jennifer Bishop