Shifters

by Jaime Johnesee

A novella. Some FBI agents find hunting serial killers to be hard work, Sam Reece isn't one of them. Hunting comes easy for her, then again she's not like other agents.

Update: Has been edited to fix previous errors.

Genres: Short Stories

45 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 19, 2012

About the author

Jaime Johnesee lives in Michigan with her husband and two sons. She spent fourteen years as a zookeeper before shifting her focus to writing full time. Known for her bestselling horror comedy series, Bob the Zombie, she is also currently coauthoring the paranormal horror series, Revelations, for Devil Dog Press as well as her Samantha Reece series.

Reviews

[Kay Glass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upon finishing this story, the only thing I could think was, "That's it? When can I expect more?" The characters were well developed for such a short story- Sam, the werepanther; her partner, Quinn, who's a brother to her; Chad, Quinn's brother whom Sam loves, but isn't in love with. You could even feel a bit of sympathy for Grisley Adams (and boy, did I love this nickname for the serial killer Sam was chasing!) and some joy at the arrival of Shaun- and some worry over him as well. You wonder- is he too good to be true? Is it the wrong thing to do if you do something for what you think are the right reasons? Oh yes, I would greatly love to follow Sam on more federal manhunts, and her journey of self-discovery as well.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Shifters" is a delightful short story. Fast-paced yet fully formed, one is immediately drawn into the characters lives and the world of their Alabama town. Jaime delivers just the right amount of horror and action but it's the cozy personalities that live in "Shifters" that make you want to get to know them even more. I was thoroughly satisfied at the end, but I'd gladly read more about "Shifters"!

[Mitsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Explosive beginning! More action and less thoughts by the female heroine would've made it better.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great and unique read. When you think about reading a book or story on shape shifters you usually think of werewolves or a person who can change into many different animals but Jaime Johnesee takes you through a life were there are people in the world who live with one animal within them and are not feared by their normal neighbors and are loved by their friends. Not only do you get a great shape shifting story but in the within these pages you get a wonderful investigation of a serial killer who needs to be captured. The horror he inflicts upon his victims will make you feel the disgust and make you want this evil to pay for what he has done. The main character, Samantha Reese, is someone you are able to relate too and you want her to do everything with her powers to stop this horrible man before he can causes the death of yet another innocent life.

I was able to feel the emotions from the Sam as she fights for the innocents all while wanting to find her origins and understand who she is. She wants what many of us want from life, understanding and love.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves a great mystery with a bit of a spin and a touch of horror.

[Diana Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

Samantha Reece is an FBI Agent turned Panther shifter by a bite. She is involved in a hunt for a killer that appears to not only be hunting female shifters, but is a shifter himself. She is also having to fight anti-shifter groups from "outting" the shifters to the world at large, and on a more personal note, finding out why and who bit her in the first place. This book read a little slow for me and didn't have the depth of character building that I look for and love in a book. This appears to be Jaime Johnesse's first book in this series and I hope to see her grow in her craft and read her next book in the series to see how it goes. A solid 3 stars. I recieved this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Abby Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shifters is the story of a detective...a detective who suffers from a virus. This virus causes her to change into something else. I really liked the originality of this story. It was nice seeing a new twist on werewolves and lyncanthropes. I liked the idea that this was something known and dealt with on a regular basis, not closeted and secretive. I found that very creative.

Jaime Johnesee is a very talented writer. I hope to see more work from her in the future. And I definitely want to read more about Sam Reece. Great job!

[M.L. Roos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new take on a police procedural with a twist: Shifters. In a world were anyone might be a shifter, a police officer is tracking down a serial killer. Sam is looking for Grisly Adams so named because of what he leaves of his victims. Jaime and Leigh have a clarity that I liked in this story, along with wit and a sense of partnership. It is difficult to pinpoint who wrote what, and that is exactly the way it should be done.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. Too much dialogue (mainly internal), and was too slow for my liking. A few grammatical and tense issues also detracted from the story.

I doubt I'll read any more books in this series.