Caveat lector: I ordered Book 1, Working for the Devil. What arrived was Book 2, Dead Man Rising. I dove in anyway, curious to see whether Book 2 could stand alone.
Necromancer Dante Valentine is reeling from the death of her demon lover, Japhrimel. She copes by focusing on her bounty hunting business. You'd think that would do the trick--she lives and works with an ex, Jace, who's gorgeous, powerful, well connected, and give-it-all-up-for-love crazy about her. She's also working with the police to stop a psychic murderer, a hunt that forces her to confront childhood traumas and reconnect with fellow sufferers.
Unfortunately even derring-do, evil in the flesh, and unconditional lurve don't distract Dante from her mourning. Quite the opposite: her mournful stream-of-consciousness intrudes on every scene. Her state of distraction conveys her sadness; she's literally distrait, distracted by loss. It's understandable, but does the story no favors: a disconnected narrator can make for a frustrating, even boring narrative. I kept flipping forward (How long is this monologue?) and looking for excuses (Maybe this is supposed to represent Japhrimel haunting her?) While some of it may be Japhrimel, the repetitive, interruptive monologue makes for long, static scenes.
The action scenes are also bogged down by random punctuation. I had to backtrack and untangle far too many sentences.
So, does Book 2 stand alone? Not really.
It's not for lack of backstory. It's a complex and well-crafted world. Saintcrow fills us in with a variety of clever devices (in addition to all the monologue!), including a pamphlet by a necromancy academy. The problem is an underdeveloped cast of characters. Dead Man Rising is so much inside Dante's head that I never got to know the men in her life. I hope Book 1 developed the other characters more, but here the effect was rather one-dimensional.
Dante herself is surprisingly underdeveloped as a real character. The premise is promising: Dante Valentine, badass heroine with issues. Unfortunately, Dante is also... perfect. She "has the face of a holovid model" (she tells us constantly). Her golden skin and black claw/nail polish come up even more often. She makes powerful allies wherever she goes. She's half-demon, so she's nearly indestructible (she tells us over and over). She can kick any ass, including her sensei's. You get the picture. She's plenty vulnerable on an emotional level, but that only increases the sense of narcissism: everything is about Dante.
The ex-lover/live-in partner, Jace, is confusingly written. Over and over, Dante tells us that Jace walked away from ruling a Mob Family, all for her. He's also a hitman. All the signs point to "tough guy", but the Jace we see is a bit of a sad sack. Dante reflects (all too often) that Jace is human (weak), aging (while she isn't), tired (humans need sleep but she doesn't), too nice to push her. He arranges meetings for Dante, digs holes, sleeps next to her without nooky. Despite his history with Dante, he plays only a bit part. I'm always afraid I know what happens to the bit-players.
I'm sure the books hang together better if they're read in order. Regardless, as a stand-alone this book feels like it skims the surface of something that could be more substantial. As part of a series, it feels like a "treading water" middle book: there's a self-contained plot, but no movement in the overarching relationships until the last 20 pages. Nice setup for a next book, but a bit flimsy for this book.
There was a lot of good writing in Dead Man Rising, but ultimately it frustrated me more than it engaged me.
Grade: C+
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