And I’m back! Moving across country is no picnic, let me tell you. And while I’m waiting  to find a job, I might as well update my blog! So I read a bunch of books on my trip, but some of them were rereads. One of the new ones was Along Came a Spider by Kate SeRine. This is the third in her Transplanted Tales books, which I really rather like.

This one features Trish Muffett, CSI to the Tales. The book starts out with Trish trying to investigate some vampire killings, but trying to keep the info she finds out away from best friend Red Little at the beset of bestie’s boyfriend Nate Grimm. Red is uber pregnant in this and since Nate Grimm is death incarnate for the most part, no one quite knows how this pregnancy will work. So, no one wants to chance Red running off to save the day as she likes to do.

At this opening crime scene, Trish is attacked by some Dracula brides. Who comes to her rescue? None other than the one man she’s had a crush on forever and a day, Nicky “Little Boy” Blue. Nicky disappeared some years (apparently) after the events in Red and has been off to parts unknown doing things unknown. Until he kills off those lady vamps trying to feed on Trish.

Utterly confused as to what Nicky Blue, notorious (or at least suspected) gangster, is doing saving her butt from certain death, Trish tries to use her not so secret superpowers (reading people’s souls through their eyes, very like a Dresden Files soulgaze only it works on the dead as well as the living) to figure out what the vamps are doing. No joy, so she goes home to her lonely apartment and cat. Why is it always a cat? Why not a dog? Dogs are way cuter.

At any rate, some rather upset ghostie tries to pull a Poltergeist on her and guess who saves her again? That’s right, Nicky Blue, who has apparently been breaking into her apartment to read the real, undoctored reports from her vampire crime scenes. That’s not creepy, really it’s not (*dripping sarcasm*). Even after finding out that he’s been breaking and entering and watching her sleep, Trish still has a think for bad boy Nicky. And this ghostie gives her a great opportunity. Unable or unwilling to beg a place to sleep off the pregnant Red and worry-wart Nate, Nicky offers Trish a room in his mansion.

So yeah, they really do get it on eventually. I didn’t find their hook up nearly as weird as Lavender and Seth’s in The Better to See You. So in between hooking up with Nicky and running from some Here and Now agency simply called The Agency (so creative), Trish and Nicky try tracking down Dracula and figuring out who is responsible for the deaths of a bunch of Tales that were really no threat to anyone but themselves (i.e.-The Pied Piper, who is apparently a career sex offender. Ew).

I enjoyed this book. I liked seeing a bit more of Trish Muffett although I do think she fell into a lot of urban fantasy female character cliches: in love with one guy in particular and no one else could possibly do, strong woman…unless there’s a man around to take care of things, constantly getting injured by doing something that defies basic common sense.  At any rate, I’d call it an quick, entertaining read. You could certainly get this done in much less than a day if you’re looking for just a little something to read. Rating: B-. A little trope-y but cute.