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Kitty and Ben return to Denver from their honeymoon in Las Vegas (in .com/articles/09/NW0900066.php>KItty and the Dead Man’s Hand), ready to start living their life together—hopefully without too much crazy stuff happening around them. Unfortunately, the supernatural world won’t leave Kitty in peace, and something smelling of brimstone and fire has followed her home, seeking vengeance.
A band of lycanthropes who perform a show on the Strip might just be out for revenge, since Kitty had a hand in destroying their leader. A fire demon stalks her, spouting words in the ancient Arabic language—but only after first going after her werewolf pack, seemingly wanting to cause her as much suffering as it can before it turns its attention on her.
Paradox PI, a ghost-hunting reality TV show, arrives in town to investigate a supposedly haunted house. When Kitty joins them during filming, the unexpected happens, leaving everyone shaken and willing to help Kitty get to the bottom of her problem.
Meanwhile, Kitty also has to deal with Rick, the Master Vampire of Denver, and his vampire politics as she tries to keep the trust of her werewolf pack. Another, older vampire shows up, offering to help Kitty get rid of the demon, and all he wants in return is free passage in Denver. Rick doesn’t trust him, but Kitty is desperate for help.
Kitty Norville is like a tamer version of Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake—minus the vampire hunting, of course—and, to me, that’s a good thing. Though I like both characters, Kitty just seems so much more compassionate than Anita—and a tad bit more likable, too. But that’s not to say that Kitty can’t kick butt when she needs to, especially when her werewolf pack is cornered or targeted.
Kitty Raises Hell sucked me in and kept me fascinated—especially during the ghost-hunting parts of the novel. Though the spooky old house and the ghostly tale related to it is a subplot, it doesn’t crowd out the main plot; it just gives the story a bit more intrigue. Ms. Vaughn also balances the latest adventure in the series with the ongoing storyline between the characters without bogging things down and getting so caught up in the characters that the main plot suffers. It takes skill to do that, and Ms. Vaughn is one of the best at it.
Filled with fast-paced action, sinister antagonists, and attention-grabbing paranormal aspects, Kitty Raises Hell is a marvelous read from start to finish. I utterly love the Kitty Norville series, and I plan to treat myself to Carrie Vaughn’s backlog.
