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When a young girl comes to Rune for help, Rune and the crew are thrown into a strange case involving a type of monster they've never seen before. As they follow the trail of bodies he leaves behind, they discover their new bad guy is just one thread in the tapestry of lies and deceit they must unravel to get to the truth. With the River County Others still struggling to survive in a cold, hostile world, Rune continues to protect them as she leads her crew into a vicious battle against one of the Annex's most brutal adversaries. In this ninth installment of the series, Rune is faced with heartbreaking loss, breathtaking surprises, and unimaginable horror. But her life has been forever changed with the stunning arrival of a perfect, shining light. Her darkness will never again be quite so grim, but will she be able to triumph over the forces that work tirelessly to defeat her?

261 pages, Paperback

First published October 20, 2016

121 people are currently reading
102 people want to read

About the author

Laken Cane

44 books469 followers
Laken was first published in 2008. After a few exciting years with her publishers, she struck out on her own to write the now complete Rune Alexander series, and never looked back.

She shares her Ohio home with three spoiled dogs, two fish, and a tenacious African Violet. She drinks too much coffee and continues burning up the keys of her trusty laptop, getting the stories out of her head and into her readers' hands.

You can connect with Laken through her website at www.lakencane.com or her Facebook author page at www.facebook.com/authorlakencane

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Community Reviews

5 stars
311 (57%)
4 stars
166 (30%)
3 stars
55 (10%)
2 stars
5 (<1%)
1 star
3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for Denisa.
1,383 reviews332 followers
April 12, 2020
Pretty good series, kept me hooked.

It's been a while since I read it though (I've been pretty lazy with my reviews lately), so I can't really say anything else except that I liked it and Rune was soo, so much fun!
Profile Image for Shannon White.
506 reviews1 follower
November 6, 2017
Wow....

Another amazing part of the shiv crew saga! It was amazing, I laughed and cried and cursed and forgave! I really can't wait for the next one!
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
34 reviews1 follower
October 23, 2016
Another epic chapter

Omg!!!!!! I'm not sure what to say about Kill Switch. It was fabulous, amazing, terrified, terrifying, heart wrenching, heart stopping awesomeness! I absolutely loved Kill Switch. After what has been a rough couple weeks, Rune and the crew was what I need to make me feel like me again. Part of my heart and soul belong to Rune and the Shiv Crew.

Kill Switch touched me unlike any other of the books. Laken not only brought these characters alive for me but every time I read one of her books I go with the crew. I feel what they feel. They make me laugh, cry and want to scream. In fact I do scream at them.

The Rune Alexander series is must read, but you need to start with book one, Shiv Crew.
87 reviews1 follower
October 26, 2016
I swear cliffhangers are the worst

Looking forward to the next book! I feel drawn in to your book. I'm there fighting with the crew. Only so many people have that gift. I love your books looking forward to the next!
Profile Image for PepperP0t .
5,108 reviews86 followers
December 10, 2022
To this reader’s taste, the outing simultaneously read very much like both a middle and penultimate outing as Rune closed the door on a major chapter, floundered before accepting a new normal for her life. Choosing to step into the next chapter means facing more betrayal and hard truths along with making even harder decisions.

Meanwhile, the NEXT group boldly helps and encourages humans to attack Ohers casting a possibly bleak, foreboding shadow with their latest insidious plan involving a weapon our team has to dig deep to defend against. That digging uncovers well buried secrets but the team gets help from an unexpected source.
/Rating: 4.25stars
Profile Image for C. Erani Kole.
1,710 reviews51 followers
December 26, 2021
I love the baby

This was probably the most tame out of all the other books. I liked seeing Rune happy and at peace. She’s almost well-rounded after having dealt with so much. It almost makes everything we went through worth it when you get to see her like this.

She still has her moments but they’re not as bad and she deals with them a lot better. And for some reason, a lot of the drama that did come seemed less… intense.
Profile Image for Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*.
2,969 reviews1,198 followers
April 7, 2023
The series got better from a very rough middle installment. The baby is actually adorable. The bond in the hometown is strong with the crew. Not everything is answered such as what happened to the girl at the end and a few other side notes, but Rune's strength is shown and her personality is better in the final books (thankfully!) As always, a small cliffhanger. I read this and the next two back to back but they are blending in a little together due to that, but was a good ending continuation.
Profile Image for Ellie Scothern.
301 reviews
July 16, 2023
Unrelenting!

Every paragraph leads to more, more twists, more turns and more dimension, this series is without a doubt, one of the best that I have ever read in nearly 40 years of reading, and I read a lot.
This author grabs you from the first paragraph and keeps you level with the next paragraph, so all you want to do is find out what will happen next.
Profile Image for Karene Smith.
268 reviews2 followers
September 24, 2017
Excellent

Great series with non-stop action and characters that you will love, and some will break your heart! Well worth the hours that I've spent binge reading it! Excellent, excellent book and an epic series.
Profile Image for Jennifer Mccormick eding.
110 reviews1 follower
July 7, 2018
Amazing as always!!!!

I don't know how she does it, but Laken Cane has an untouchable and amazing talent and imagination. Her writing is unlike anything you will ever read. So exciting and awesome!! and the ending??? Omg!!!
Profile Image for Sheryl Slavensky .
139 reviews
October 23, 2019
Great series

These books are the perfect blend of darkness and hope. The writing is very good and the story line is complex. Always enjoyable even if emotional. The characters grow and change nicely and are fun to follow.
Profile Image for Crystal H.
32 reviews2 followers
November 6, 2024
Just gets better...

I would never want to have to make the choices Rune has had to. This story gets better and better with every book. Thank you for writing about Rune and The Shiv Crew.
46 reviews2 followers
October 21, 2016
Wow

I loved this book, it continues the ongoing battles Rune and her Shiv Crew face. Laken Cane weaves a fantastic story and hooks you from the first, cliffhanger yes!! Blood yes!! Mayhem and death? Yes!!!
967 reviews11 followers
March 6, 2018
Book 9 and still a fabulous series!! Like early LKH without all the sex and not so angsty and introspective. An action packed powerhouse of a series.
41 reviews
June 29, 2019
Rune 9.

So in love with these characters. Much to my breaking shattered heart. Nothing simple happens, it has to PACK a punch, but sweet agony, I love it.
Profile Image for Dawn Hix.
50 reviews1 follower
October 23, 2021
LOVE THIS SERIES

I absolutely LOVE this series and this author. There’s romance but she doesn’t use the sex as a page filler.
32 reviews
January 18, 2022
read read read

Ok people you have to read this series it is frustratingly happy,frightening in its sadness but you can not put them down.
Profile Image for Laura.
1,229 reviews11 followers
October 27, 2016
Ms. Cane Never Ceases To Amaze Me

First, Amazon needs to change their rating so great books can have a higher rating than five. With that said, solid ten stars rating.
Have you ever read an authors work and find that as it continues into the series that you eventually lose interest? Well for Ms. Laken Cane's work that is definitely NOT the case. The Rune Alexander series just keeps getting better and better.
Ms. Cane has an amazingly creative mind. She brings new things to each of the series. There's always a different unexpected surprise that keeps you on your toes and wanting more.
Kill Switch had so much action, suspense, and oh yes there's the darkness and loneliness that only those who have invested in the series understands. There's also some hope and plenty of emotional whiplash, but it's all so bitterly sweet at the same time.
I may be biased (and no I don't personally know the author or am one of her friends, just an avid reader who found a great author worth spending my time on) but I fell in love with this series from the very first book, the very first page. The author has managed to keep me thoroughly interested and willing to invest my time in each book while anxiously awaiting the next.
As not to ruin Kill Switch for anyone, I won't go into the storyline as you will see for yourself it's worth every second of your time but what I can say is that Rune endured much in Kill Switch, loyalties are tested, some truths are revealed, and surprises rise out from the darkness...until book ten comes along, I will continue to wait, might I add, very impatiently and re-read the series again just to keep me going.
Spectacular job Ms. Cane on another heart stopping installation to The Rune Alexander series.
Profile Image for Felicia Wood.
365 reviews2 followers
November 14, 2016
I've missed my Shiv Crew! This one starts like all the rest, action, action, and then a giant gut punch! Before we get to the end of and then again by the time we get to the end of part one, I'm in awe, and speechless, aside from an uttered "Fu*k!"

Rune is ever changing, and despite all of the love she's got in that heart of hers, there is no room for second guessing or mercy. Roma is proving to be a worthy addition to the crew; she's so darn cute, awkward, and badass that I can't take it, love her! She's like Rune's own personal 'Hit Girl'. Like always, Rune's relationships with the members of her crew is the glue that holds these stories together, and nowadays they are more like family than ever.

The drama that unfolds in this book is just enough. A few sad moments, lots of laughs, and more than a couple 'shut the front door' moments. Waiting for the next book will be a form of torture fit for Karen Love.
Profile Image for Jo Dawson.
216 reviews2 followers
October 24, 2016
Rune Alexanader: leader of Shiv Crew, resident badass, and new mom. Kill Switch brings Rune and crew in and out of Killing Land, facing enemies known and new enemies altogether. Rune is still mourning the loss of so many friends and crew members but now is not the time to show vulnerability.

What an amazing read; Kill Switch kept me up well past my bedtime! Laken Cane masterfully takes Rune to hell and back as she works hard to save the preternatural like herself. Working moms have a lot to balance, but Rune kicks butt while she’s doing it. This is a face-paced story that brings together the hallmark Shiv Crew touches that we’ve grown to love – a lot of action, a lot of surprises, and a dash of humor as only Ms. Cane can provide.
Profile Image for Kelly Reed.
8 reviews1 follower
December 19, 2016
I am DYING HERE!

Okay, I don't want to ruin anything with this book, so all I can say is that I cried and nearly screamed on an airplane. AN AIRPLANE! Sometimes I don't know how Laken Cane does it, but she manages to keep the hits coming. This installment of the Rune Alexander series flowed so smoothly that I finished it in record time. I was carried through the story on a current of excitement, big revelations, dark moments, and so much more. All this with a huge paradigm shift that somehow still manages to maintain that team dynamic that we know and love. I am just going to hold my breath in hopes that it will prompt Laken to write faster. I NEED the next book. LIKE NOW.
Profile Image for Corey Clancy.
163 reviews9 followers
November 9, 2016
Another amazing book from Laken Cane

DO NOT READ OUT OF ORDER. START WITH BOOK ONE! YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE OF RUNE ALEXANDER TO BE ABLE TO ENJOY.

AGH! Another cliff hanger. I hate you, I love you! Your twisted mind is a thing if beauty! Wow, just wow! Laken Cane you are my hero! You write my idol. If I could choose any character to be, it would be Rune Alexander. This is another stunning addition in this series. I cannot wait to see what you come up with next.

KEEP WRITING!!
Profile Image for Sara.
300 reviews2 followers
October 31, 2016
Always amazing!

Can I just say, cliffhangers are evil. But the good kind of evil, like chocolate. Addictive and evil. That what Laken Canes books are. But in the best way.
I will always one click this series. Laken is a wonderful writer and the story just keeps getting deeper and deeper. I love the crew and I really love the direction this book takes us in.
Shiv Crew for life!
Profile Image for Iris Hunter (InstagramREADS).
696 reviews79 followers
November 5, 2016
Amazing, killing me!

Amazing, killing me! Can't wait to read how this one will continue. What a cliff hanger!

You wait for the Ellie, Z, and bersiker momenteel. But when they finaly come. They come with fulltime force. WoW
Profile Image for Curly's  Ramblings.
2,036 reviews6 followers
December 8, 2016
Constant action while gripping your seat. The Shiv Crew takes on some interesting villains and takes a licken. Not all are safe. The little one is growing and Rune's soft side is evident. Decent character development and storyline progression.
Profile Image for Llaph .
1,066 reviews29 followers
November 24, 2022
What a scary freaking idea…. I love the ups and downs I get when I read one of these books.
Still don’t trust Eugene….
How did he change and will Rune ever get a break that lasts for more than a few days?
Profile Image for Ashley Marie.
213 reviews3 followers
November 17, 2016
I loved every minute of I spent reading this one. I have got to say this one is definitely my new favorite and I am really excited to find out what happens next.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews

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