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Niki Slobodian #1-3
The Niki Slobodian Omnibus
The bestselling Niki Slobodian series is now available in one convenient collection.
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Niki Slobodian sees things – things that aren't supposed to be there. Labeled an Abnormal by New Government, her name is tacked onto the Registry, which seems to be getting longer these days. Now she can't work or she'll end up the same place as her father: in prison. But with no money coming in, Niki's getting desperate.
So when a mysterious client offers to get her off the Registry in exchange for taking his case, Niki jumps at the chance. All she has to do is round up a homicidal Dark that's escaped from Hell and is cruising around the city in borrowed bodies. The murders are piling up, with Niki's notorious father somehow involved, and Niki's running out of time. And it seems the Dark isn't the only thing that escaped...
The Devil Is a Gentleman
Where Niki goes, death is never far behind.
Everyone Niki Slobodian knows hates Congressman Frank Bradley. He is the father of New Government, after all. He started the Registry, and the world adopted it. Bradley is the man who separated Abnormals and Normals, and made it a crime for Abbies to exist.
So when Bradley shows up at Niki's door bearing a terrible secret, then promptly disappears, she feels compelled to dig deeper. But the more Niki uncovers, the more danger she is in. A mysterious organization is out for her blood - literally - and her father's criminal past may not be as self-serving as she thought. There is also the matter of Niki's inscrutable employer Sam and the secret of his identity. With help from her partner Bobby Gage, Niki finds out just how little she knew about her family, and the truth of who she really is.
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
The worlds are out of balance. The Creator is missing. And the war between Heaven and Hell has begun.
Niki Slobodian came back, but there were side effects. She is filled with a strange power no one seems to be able to explain. Not even Sam. She is also plagued with strange visions whenever she touches anyone. This does nothing but complicate the fact that she may be the reason for the war raging in the streets of her own city. A war that could mean the end of humanity.
Niki has always done whatever she had to for the people she loves, but this time is different. With carnage escalating and the people she cares for in danger, Niki and Sam must work together to save what is left of the world they both love. And with a psychotic archangel trying to assume the post of the Creator, with one slim chance to right the balance, the odds are against them.
Nothing is ever easy for a Slobodian. Not even stopping a war that could unmake the world.
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Niki Slobodian sees things – things that aren't supposed to be there. Labeled an Abnormal by New Government, her name is tacked onto the Registry, which seems to be getting longer these days. Now she can't work or she'll end up the same place as her father: in prison. But with no money coming in, Niki's getting desperate.
So when a mysterious client offers to get her off the Registry in exchange for taking his case, Niki jumps at the chance. All she has to do is round up a homicidal Dark that's escaped from Hell and is cruising around the city in borrowed bodies. The murders are piling up, with Niki's notorious father somehow involved, and Niki's running out of time. And it seems the Dark isn't the only thing that escaped...
The Devil Is a Gentleman
Where Niki goes, death is never far behind.
Everyone Niki Slobodian knows hates Congressman Frank Bradley. He is the father of New Government, after all. He started the Registry, and the world adopted it. Bradley is the man who separated Abnormals and Normals, and made it a crime for Abbies to exist.
So when Bradley shows up at Niki's door bearing a terrible secret, then promptly disappears, she feels compelled to dig deeper. But the more Niki uncovers, the more danger she is in. A mysterious organization is out for her blood - literally - and her father's criminal past may not be as self-serving as she thought. There is also the matter of Niki's inscrutable employer Sam and the secret of his identity. With help from her partner Bobby Gage, Niki finds out just how little she knew about her family, and the truth of who she really is.
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
The worlds are out of balance. The Creator is missing. And the war between Heaven and Hell has begun.
Niki Slobodian came back, but there were side effects. She is filled with a strange power no one seems to be able to explain. Not even Sam. She is also plagued with strange visions whenever she touches anyone. This does nothing but complicate the fact that she may be the reason for the war raging in the streets of her own city. A war that could mean the end of humanity.
Niki has always done whatever she had to for the people she loves, but this time is different. With carnage escalating and the people she cares for in danger, Niki and Sam must work together to save what is left of the world they both love. And with a psychotic archangel trying to assume the post of the Creator, with one slim chance to right the balance, the odds are against them.
Nothing is ever easy for a Slobodian. Not even stopping a war that could unmake the world.
- GenresFantasyFictionParanormal
750 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 23, 2012
34 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
J.L. Murray
22 books150 followersJ.L. Murray is the author of the Niki Slobodian series (Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, The Devil Is a Gentleman, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, The Devil Was an Angel, and The Devil's Backbone), The Thirteen series (Jenny Undead and Eat the Ones You Love), After the Fire, Blood Day, the Blood of Cain series (Monstrous, Hoarfrost, Sanguine), the Gothic Folk series (The Hungry Deep), and The Collins Widow.
Murray is a firm believer that horror can be beautiful, and that good and evil are very far from black and white. She lives with her family in Eugene, Oregon and can be reached through her website at www.jlmurraywriter.com.
Murray is a firm believer that horror can be beautiful, and that good and evil are very far from black and white. She lives with her family in Eugene, Oregon and can be reached through her website at www.jlmurraywriter.com.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 3, 2015
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea 5★
I really quite enjoyed this book. I found Niki to be a strong, quick-witted heroine. Her sidekicks were useful and there was a surprising amount of humour. It all came together in an interesting paranormal action/adventure mystery with excellent writing and flawless editing. There did seem to be a lot of history between some of the characters that made me wonder if I was really reading the first book, but I caught up soon enough.
My only real complaint, two-fold as it is, was that the book felt very short. Amazon lists it at 160 pages, but I started it after dinner and was in bed before 11. In that time, I also bathed the kiddies and sent them off to dreamland. So even if it there is an physical page count of 160 somewhere, I bet it's double spaced.
Also contributing to this perception of brevity was the way challenges were overcome very, very easily. If seemed like Niki and her crew waltzed in, said "be gone" and vanquished the big-bads effortlessly. Of course, it wasn't that simple, but it felt like it was. She managed to solve two mysteries and save the day twice in the 160 pages available. That didn't leave a lot for buildup, tension, or elaborate planning.
Yes, it all felt too easy but that really was made up for by the humour and engaging characters. I can't wait to read The Devil is a Gentleman.
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The Devil Is a Gentleman 4★
I'd call this another hit. I continue to enjoy Niki and Bobby's wit and the mysteries Murray sets up for us. I also really started to feel the influence of, or similarities to Kim Harrison's The Hollows series or Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake Vampire Hunter (before the plots devolved into cheap erotica). It has a similar gun toting, strong heroine with a tendency to gather followers, fans and abilities as the series progress.
Like the first, this book also felt short. It also introduced some interesting side characters, that seemed to have just been dropped unceremoniously and it ended on a doozy of a cliffhanger, which I hate, but the writing was just as crisp and well edited as in the first. I'm looking forward to book 3, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.
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The Devil Was an Angel 4★
I'm still enjoying this series, but it's also faltering in much the same way as many other such series. There seems to come a time when the main character reaches a point where she goes from being an exceptionally powerful or talented whatever, to becoming the most powerful. It becomes unbelievable after a while and I think Niki reached that point in the book. Perhaps it will be pulled back a bit in the next one. I hope so. Because if she remains so all-powerful, what challenge can there really be? I'm holding off on my judgment on this until I finish the next book.
Some major Biblical characters are offed in this book. I had a hard time wrapping my mind around that one...and I'm not even religious. But it's difficult to fathom using preexisting myths and then ignoring or changing large parts of them in order to fit the plot. It's jarring. Be that as it may, Niki again proved herself to be a resilient woman of stellar moral fibre and imperturbable determination.
I really quite enjoyed this book. I found Niki to be a strong, quick-witted heroine. Her sidekicks were useful and there was a surprising amount of humour. It all came together in an interesting paranormal action/adventure mystery with excellent writing and flawless editing. There did seem to be a lot of history between some of the characters that made me wonder if I was really reading the first book, but I caught up soon enough.
My only real complaint, two-fold as it is, was that the book felt very short. Amazon lists it at 160 pages, but I started it after dinner and was in bed before 11. In that time, I also bathed the kiddies and sent them off to dreamland. So even if it there is an physical page count of 160 somewhere, I bet it's double spaced.
Also contributing to this perception of brevity was the way challenges were overcome very, very easily. If seemed like Niki and her crew waltzed in, said "be gone" and vanquished the big-bads effortlessly. Of course, it wasn't that simple, but it felt like it was. She managed to solve two mysteries and save the day twice in the 160 pages available. That didn't leave a lot for buildup, tension, or elaborate planning.
Yes, it all felt too easy but that really was made up for by the humour and engaging characters. I can't wait to read The Devil is a Gentleman.
------------------------
The Devil Is a Gentleman 4★
I'd call this another hit. I continue to enjoy Niki and Bobby's wit and the mysteries Murray sets up for us. I also really started to feel the influence of, or similarities to Kim Harrison's The Hollows series or Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake Vampire Hunter (before the plots devolved into cheap erotica). It has a similar gun toting, strong heroine with a tendency to gather followers, fans and abilities as the series progress.
Like the first, this book also felt short. It also introduced some interesting side characters, that seemed to have just been dropped unceremoniously and it ended on a doozy of a cliffhanger, which I hate, but the writing was just as crisp and well edited as in the first. I'm looking forward to book 3, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.
--------------------
The Devil Was an Angel 4★
I'm still enjoying this series, but it's also faltering in much the same way as many other such series. There seems to come a time when the main character reaches a point where she goes from being an exceptionally powerful or talented whatever, to becoming the most powerful. It becomes unbelievable after a while and I think Niki reached that point in the book. Perhaps it will be pulled back a bit in the next one. I hope so. Because if she remains so all-powerful, what challenge can there really be? I'm holding off on my judgment on this until I finish the next book.
Some major Biblical characters are offed in this book. I had a hard time wrapping my mind around that one...and I'm not even religious. But it's difficult to fathom using preexisting myths and then ignoring or changing large parts of them in order to fit the plot. It's jarring. Be that as it may, Niki again proved herself to be a resilient woman of stellar moral fibre and imperturbable determination.
July 19, 2015
Well written and engaging but I don't like authors who end a book with, basically, the starting calamity of the next book. Between the Devil and Deep Blue Sea ends this way, and so does The Devil Is A Gentleman; it does finish the arc of the story in Before The Devil Knows You're Dead. So if have Omnibus you're good. This just a pet peeve of mine and it will stop me from getting anymore books by this author since I know she does this. If this doesn't bother you, she is well worth reading with an engrossing storyline and a complete alternate world where those who are different (psychic, mage, and the like) are placed on registry. Those on the registry aren't allowed to work, own guns, and with most civil rights taken away. It is a great story but she just hit my pet peeve nerve.
The first thing we learn about Niki Slobodian is she can see ghosts and interact with them. Late one night Niki Slobodian is walking down a rainy street in the bad part of town when she notices a bar called the Deep Blue Sea. This bar, which she has never see before even though she knows this part of town. At first the bar seems like ghosts do, but it gets more substantial as she gets nearer. When she enters there is only one very old female bartender. After getting a drink there is suddenly a man beside her on the next stool. Sam knows her name, that foster grandmother is the hospital, and that she is on the registry. Sam has a job for her and he tells her he can get off the registry. Which is impossible, no one gets off the registry. Sam then explains that the seal to hell has been cracked and a Dark has escaped. Sam wants Niki to find the Dark. That is the start of this story that covers three books.
The first thing we learn about Niki Slobodian is she can see ghosts and interact with them. Late one night Niki Slobodian is walking down a rainy street in the bad part of town when she notices a bar called the Deep Blue Sea. This bar, which she has never see before even though she knows this part of town. At first the bar seems like ghosts do, but it gets more substantial as she gets nearer. When she enters there is only one very old female bartender. After getting a drink there is suddenly a man beside her on the next stool. Sam knows her name, that foster grandmother is the hospital, and that she is on the registry. Sam has a job for her and he tells her he can get off the registry. Which is impossible, no one gets off the registry. Sam then explains that the seal to hell has been cracked and a Dark has escaped. Sam wants Niki to find the Dark. That is the start of this story that covers three books.
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August 30, 2023Compelling story
Intriguing mix of fantasy and Biblical figures. A novel way to interpret God and creation with a doomed heroine and others.
Intriguing mix of fantasy and Biblical figures. A novel way to interpret God and creation with a doomed heroine and others.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews