Dead Heat
by Patricia Briggs
Series: Alpha and Omega, #4
Hardcover, 324 pg.
Ace Books, 2015
Read: March 6 – 7, 2015
One of the biggest difficulties I have here on this ol’ blog is coming up with something to say about later books in a series. What (barring a significant shift in quality) can I say that I haven’t already said? I’m honestly not sure here, but I’ll give it a try.
It’s been three years since the jaw-dropping conclusion of Fair Game, and we’re finally able to get back to Brigg’s Alpha and Omega series. Things seem to have been pretty quiet for these two. We’re not given a lot (or any, as far as I can recall) of information about what’s been going on in the lives of Charles and Anna since then, but we can guess — they’ve grown closer, Charles has done a little enforcing for his father, Anna’s. . . well, honestly, I don’t know, she’s been doing her own thing.
Hunting Game is a nice departure from the typical setup for these books. There’s no assignment, no renegade werewolf, no investigation — just Charles trying to get a gift for Anna and introducing her to an old friend. Sure — something supernatural comes up, there’s something/someone that needs to be stopped before people die. Thankfully, conveniently, fortuitously, Charles and Anna are in town and they (with the help of the local pack) can take charge to protect those who need it the most.
There’s not a lot here that will progress the story of either series, no dramatic character growth or supernatural threat that will shake things up. It’s about spending time with these people, understanding them a bit better — at least in a new light. Seeing Charles away from his family — but amidst friends that might as well be, sheds a good deal of light on his character — not just his past. It’s also interesting seeing the way this particular pack acts together (as opposed to Bran’s or Adams’s).
There’s a warmth to this book, even when things got hairy and tense — which fits a novel about an Omega — the same way that Mercy’s books have a very different feel. A welcome addition to the growing Brigg’s world.
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