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Nightshades #2
Switchback
The Bureau of Preternatural Investigations returns in the sequel to Melissa F. Olson's Nightshades.
Three weeks after the events of Nightshades, things are finally beginning to settle for the Chicago branch of the BPI, but the brief respite from the horror of the previous few weeks was never destined to last.
The team gets a call from Switch Creek, WI, where a young man has been arrested on suspicion of being a shade.
The suspect is held overnight, pending DNA testing, but seemingly escapes in a terrifying and bloody massacre. But is there more to the jailbreak than a simple quest for freedom?
Three weeks after the events of Nightshades, things are finally beginning to settle for the Chicago branch of the BPI, but the brief respite from the horror of the previous few weeks was never destined to last.
The team gets a call from Switch Creek, WI, where a young man has been arrested on suspicion of being a shade.
The suspect is held overnight, pending DNA testing, but seemingly escapes in a terrifying and bloody massacre. But is there more to the jailbreak than a simple quest for freedom?
239 pages, Paperback
First published October 24, 2017
137 people are currently reading
710 people want to read
About the author
Melissa F. Olson
42 books1,740 followersMelissa F. Olson is a writer and film professor. Her work includes the comic ARCHAIC, the feminist horror novel The Other Frankenstein, and more than 20 urban fantasy novels and novellas, including the Scarlett Bernard series and the Boundary Magic novels. Her journalism and academic work has been published in The International Journal of Comic Art, the compilation Images of the Modern Vampire, Tor.com, and the Everyone's Gone to the Movies series.
Melissa has been a writing teacher, English professor, and TEDx presenter, but she now divides her time between writing and conventions, where she speaks about issues related to genre, feminism, writing, and parenting. Read more about her life and work at MFOlson.com.
Melissa has been a writing teacher, English professor, and TEDx presenter, but she now divides her time between writing and conventions, where she speaks about issues related to genre, feminism, writing, and parenting. Read more about her life and work at MFOlson.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
October 31, 2017
I think I should put a self-warning ... this series will end with cliffhanger!!
Melissa F. Olson returns to her series of Bureau of Preternatural Investigations agents ... this time Special Agent Alex McKenna and his team heads to Switch Creek, Illinois, where the police officers have been slayed inside their own office building by shades.
Another fast-paced read! I think this time the book focused more on Lindy, the BPI's only shade member -- one of the oldest shades, whose twin brother, Hector, is the mastermind of the havoc in book #2. Alex seems to take a step back, and Hector is nowhere in sight this time (even though we find out that he still very much pulls the strings in what happens at Switch Creek).
I really LOVED how the team worked together, of course. Everyone are contributing to investigate the perpetrators as well as digging the motives (and I also liked that the reason for the killing is not simply about revenge towards a new shade -- but rather something more related to a shady work done by the Chief himself).
Lindy might pretty much be the 'muscle' since she is the one with power to handle shade, but the other human members are not exactly stay idle. I loved that I got more information about other members like Jill Hadley or Harvey Bartell (I was upset that he met his demise! #JusticeforBartell)
Although when it comes to Chase -- Alex's second-hand-man -- I'm afraid that I think he has become influenced by Hector and becomes a liability. I worried about him at the end of book #1 and I wondered if he was also responsible in the attack of Camp Vamp (detention facility in DC to keep the vampire prisoners) and release of inmates.
I see that book #3 already has a title but no release date yet. I am marking that down for my TBR most definitely.
Melissa F. Olson returns to her series of Bureau of Preternatural Investigations agents ... this time Special Agent Alex McKenna and his team heads to Switch Creek, Illinois, where the police officers have been slayed inside their own office building by shades.
Another fast-paced read! I think this time the book focused more on Lindy, the BPI's only shade member -- one of the oldest shades, whose twin brother, Hector, is the mastermind of the havoc in book #2. Alex seems to take a step back, and Hector is nowhere in sight this time (even though we find out that he still very much pulls the strings in what happens at Switch Creek).
I really LOVED how the team worked together, of course. Everyone are contributing to investigate the perpetrators as well as digging the motives (and I also liked that the reason for the killing is not simply about revenge towards a new shade -- but rather something more related to a shady work done by the Chief himself).
Lindy might pretty much be the 'muscle' since she is the one with power to handle shade, but the other human members are not exactly stay idle. I loved that I got more information about other members like Jill Hadley or Harvey Bartell (I was upset that he met his demise! #JusticeforBartell)
Although when it comes to Chase -- Alex's second-hand-man -- I'm afraid that I think he has become influenced by Hector and becomes a liability. I worried about him at the end of book #1 and I wondered if he was also responsible in the attack of Camp Vamp (detention facility in DC to keep the vampire prisoners) and release of inmates.
I see that book #3 already has a title but no release date yet. I am marking that down for my TBR most definitely.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2017
Switchback is a decided improvement over its merely workmanlike predecessor, Nightshades, which introduced Melissa F. Olson’s near future noir world in which humans are reacting—sometimes poorly—to learning that vampires exist. Whereas Nightshades was full of clunky exposition and worldbuilding, everything about Switchback is more relaxed and self-assured. It’s a better-plotted mystery with a more satisfying overall arc, and Olson makes the wise choice to focus more on Lindy, the vampire consultant who is more interesting that the rest of the main cast put together. While there are still some mysteries surrounding Lindy’s past, by the end of Switchback she feels like a fully realized character. “What if the world suddenly knew vampires are real?” is a question that has been answered many times in fiction, and I’m not sure there’s much new ground to cover on the issue, but Switchback retreads well-worn paths confidently while shifting focus to a fresher perspective than Nightshades had. I wasn’t sure about continuing with this series after my lukewarm feeling towards that book, but after this one I’m rather looking forward to seeing what Olson does with it next.
Read more reviews at SF Bluestocking.
Read more reviews at SF Bluestocking.
November 23, 2020
O.W.L.S. Magical Readathon 2020 Book #3: Charms - Lumos Maxima - White Cover
This is the second book in the Nightshades Trilogy. I really enjoy this series. It's about a special unit of the FBI who investigate vampire related crimes. It has just been discovered that vampires exist, so the world is scrambling to process this. The task force also has a secret vampire on their team named Lindy.
This story takes up maybe two months after the events in the first book. Hector is still on the wind and Lindy is looking for him. I will admit that I didn't remember everything that happened in Book One. I shouldn't have waited so long before reading the second installment. (future me chiming in: I still haven't read the third book, so I obviously don't listen to my own advice at all haha).
I really enjoy the special investigative unit/police procedural aspect to this story. I think it does a really good balance between the paranormal and the real world.
It has a very gritty feel to it, which works well for the story.
It was very quick and fast-paced. There really weren't any slow spots or boring bits. I was always interested to see what was going to happen next. It had a very interesting crime and I wasn't sure where it was going to go.
This does end on a cliffhanger, so I'm going to need to read Book 3 pronto. (Future me laughs and laughs at this statement because I still haven't done it).
Switchblade was a great follow-up to Nightshade. I really like this world and feel. I'm excited to see what happens next.
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5
Beware the Creatures of the Night!
January 7, 2018
The second book in this series, while still short, manages to give us an interesting story and begins to build the characters.
My complaint with both the first and second books in this series is that they are very short. The audiobook narrations are just over 4 hours. The first book was laying down the world building, introducing characters and attempting to give us an FBI investigation. It was too much in such a short time, although the introduction of vampires was intended to be vague since we only just found out they existed. I presume that the learning curve will be part of the entire series, at least for a while.
The second book does what I hoped it would do, and begins to build on the characters in a very natural way as the story develops and just like you would if you were meeting new people.
Now that the world has accepted that shades (vampires) are not a youtube hoax or government lie, several states are creating fear-based laws so they have cause to arrest any shade they can find, such as the recent Wisconsin law that drinking blood is illegal. When the first arrest is made, in a small town of Switchback, the entire police force is found murdered in what looks like a shade retaliation. The BPI, Bureau of Preternatural Investigation, is sent in to investigate and determine if this was a shade attack and if it has anything to do with Hector and the abducted teens a few months ago.
As we investigate the attack on the police force, we start learning more and more about Alex McKenna and the rest of the BPI agents, as well as more about Lindy Frederick, who is a shade working with the BPI. The agents, while still leary of Lindy, start to realize that she will not harm them and they begin to accept her as one of them as the story builds.
The story was very good and well laid out to blend the investigation and character building and left me wanting more. That is the problem with reading back to back stories. It is just a shame that there wasn't more to it. The next book is due out sometime in May and I will definitely pick up the audiobook to enjoy more of Luke Daneils's captivating narration.
My complaint with both the first and second books in this series is that they are very short. The audiobook narrations are just over 4 hours. The first book was laying down the world building, introducing characters and attempting to give us an FBI investigation. It was too much in such a short time, although the introduction of vampires was intended to be vague since we only just found out they existed. I presume that the learning curve will be part of the entire series, at least for a while.
The second book does what I hoped it would do, and begins to build on the characters in a very natural way as the story develops and just like you would if you were meeting new people.
Now that the world has accepted that shades (vampires) are not a youtube hoax or government lie, several states are creating fear-based laws so they have cause to arrest any shade they can find, such as the recent Wisconsin law that drinking blood is illegal. When the first arrest is made, in a small town of Switchback, the entire police force is found murdered in what looks like a shade retaliation. The BPI, Bureau of Preternatural Investigation, is sent in to investigate and determine if this was a shade attack and if it has anything to do with Hector and the abducted teens a few months ago.
As we investigate the attack on the police force, we start learning more and more about Alex McKenna and the rest of the BPI agents, as well as more about Lindy Frederick, who is a shade working with the BPI. The agents, while still leary of Lindy, start to realize that she will not harm them and they begin to accept her as one of them as the story builds.
The story was very good and well laid out to blend the investigation and character building and left me wanting more. That is the problem with reading back to back stories. It is just a shame that there wasn't more to it. The next book is due out sometime in May and I will definitely pick up the audiobook to enjoy more of Luke Daneils's captivating narration.
June 4, 2018
Review originally published at Vampire Book Club and based on a copy provided by the publisher.
Switchback picks up about a month after the end of Nightshades. Special Agent Alex McKenna is just returning to work at the Chicago office for the Bureau for Paranormal Investigations after recovering from the injuries he suffered at the end of that book. On his first day back, his team gets called to the small town of Switch Creek, Illinois, where a young man was arrested for drinking blood the previous evening. In the morning, the office manager arrived to find a massacre had occurred at the police station overnight.
I enjoyed getting to know the BPI team some more in this second book. Olson goes in to some of the characters’ backstories and develops the relationships between members of this relatively new team. Plus, the whole paranormal FBI thing is perfect old school urban fantasy and totally my catnip.
I thought the mystery was just okay though. That could just be because I was more interested in the characters than in the plot. It could be that the novella length doesn’t leave room for as much story development as I have would have liked. The connections to characters in the first book also don’t come up until the end, which made this feel like a transitional book more than a standalone.
In my review, I said Nightshades was like “Criminal Minds with vampires.” And the series continues to feel like it should be a TV show. (Hey Netflix, can you make this show for me please?) The ensemble cast and multiple POVs allow us to see the clues as they’re discovered. The novella length also gives the books an episodic feel. And it makes them great for binging! In a way I’m glad I didn’t read Switchback when it first released because I get to go right in to book three, Outbreak.
3.5 stars
Switchback picks up about a month after the end of Nightshades. Special Agent Alex McKenna is just returning to work at the Chicago office for the Bureau for Paranormal Investigations after recovering from the injuries he suffered at the end of that book. On his first day back, his team gets called to the small town of Switch Creek, Illinois, where a young man was arrested for drinking blood the previous evening. In the morning, the office manager arrived to find a massacre had occurred at the police station overnight.
I enjoyed getting to know the BPI team some more in this second book. Olson goes in to some of the characters’ backstories and develops the relationships between members of this relatively new team. Plus, the whole paranormal FBI thing is perfect old school urban fantasy and totally my catnip.
I thought the mystery was just okay though. That could just be because I was more interested in the characters than in the plot. It could be that the novella length doesn’t leave room for as much story development as I have would have liked. The connections to characters in the first book also don’t come up until the end, which made this feel like a transitional book more than a standalone.
In my review, I said Nightshades was like “Criminal Minds with vampires.” And the series continues to feel like it should be a TV show. (Hey Netflix, can you make this show for me please?) The ensemble cast and multiple POVs allow us to see the clues as they’re discovered. The novella length also gives the books an episodic feel. And it makes them great for binging! In a way I’m glad I didn’t read Switchback when it first released because I get to go right in to book three, Outbreak.
3.5 stars
January 5, 2018
Their enemy is still out there and they barely took a recruiting breath before they are on the hunt, but then a slaughter in a rural town happens and the team has their hands full. Is it vampires? Is it related to their open case against Hector? And will the secrets a few of the team members are keeping prove dangerous? Oh, I most certainly needed all the answers.
Switchback is book two in the Nightshades series and must be read in order since the book carries on the story which began in book one.
Alex is just recovered from his life-threatening injuries and is still somewhat shaky and bewildered because Lindy, a shade pretty much saved his life, and he is attracted to her on top of this. Lindy knows Hector will not go to ground and stay gone so she goes on the hunt while feeling fear and worry for the first time in centuries and she knows why. She cares about the people in her preternatural crimes team and Hector knows this. And what is this warm sensation she feels for Alex. It's all almost too much when she also contemplates the human government's stance on shades is changing and her very existence is steadily being threatened particularly when they might change their mind about her.
Meanwhile, there is another intense and twisting case for the team. A brutal multiple murder scene likely done by Shades in a small, mostly upper middle class town outside Chicago where petty crimes used to be the worst that could be expected. It was a well-paced and I was right there in the story save for one thing. I found it distracting and unnecessary.
We go from hunting down murdering vampires to pulling over from the story to take political potshots at the whole community because it's populated by ignorant rich and entitled white folks and a few token people of color living in the suburbs. It had nothing whatsoever to do with the plot and didn't advance the story or shed light on the characters save maybe a little explanation into Agent Hadley's background.
I know we need open dialogue on racial issues and I have no problem with addressing ignorance or worse, but is it really necessary to do this by put down one race to build up the others? Does it have to be an all or nothing mentality here? I assure you it doesn't if we truly want our words to make a difference with those who most need to hear and heed them.
The story ended with the current case wrapped up, but then some zingers hit in the last scene and left things on an ominous note making me anxious for when the next book will release. It wasn't a drastic cliffie, but more a lead in to the next installment.
Just like with the first book, I listened to this one and Luke Daniels was the narrator. What more can I say that I haven't already? He does a fabulous job and made a good story even better. I thought his handling of deep emotions and the underlying tension of the story was magnificent. I think I would feel bereft to not get the rest of the series in audio.
All in all, this second leg of the series was even stronger than the first in my opinion. This was mostly because the job of introducing the series is behind us and we can get straight into the plot and further development of the characters. I anticipate it staying strong with all the good elements it has going for it. Definitely a recommend for urban fantasy lovers.
My thanks to Brilliance audio for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.
Switchback is book two in the Nightshades series and must be read in order since the book carries on the story which began in book one.
Alex is just recovered from his life-threatening injuries and is still somewhat shaky and bewildered because Lindy, a shade pretty much saved his life, and he is attracted to her on top of this. Lindy knows Hector will not go to ground and stay gone so she goes on the hunt while feeling fear and worry for the first time in centuries and she knows why. She cares about the people in her preternatural crimes team and Hector knows this. And what is this warm sensation she feels for Alex. It's all almost too much when she also contemplates the human government's stance on shades is changing and her very existence is steadily being threatened particularly when they might change their mind about her.
Meanwhile, there is another intense and twisting case for the team. A brutal multiple murder scene likely done by Shades in a small, mostly upper middle class town outside Chicago where petty crimes used to be the worst that could be expected. It was a well-paced and I was right there in the story save for one thing. I found it distracting and unnecessary.
We go from hunting down murdering vampires to pulling over from the story to take political potshots at the whole community because it's populated by ignorant rich and entitled white folks and a few token people of color living in the suburbs. It had nothing whatsoever to do with the plot and didn't advance the story or shed light on the characters save maybe a little explanation into Agent Hadley's background.
I know we need open dialogue on racial issues and I have no problem with addressing ignorance or worse, but is it really necessary to do this by put down one race to build up the others? Does it have to be an all or nothing mentality here? I assure you it doesn't if we truly want our words to make a difference with those who most need to hear and heed them.
The story ended with the current case wrapped up, but then some zingers hit in the last scene and left things on an ominous note making me anxious for when the next book will release. It wasn't a drastic cliffie, but more a lead in to the next installment.
Just like with the first book, I listened to this one and Luke Daniels was the narrator. What more can I say that I haven't already? He does a fabulous job and made a good story even better. I thought his handling of deep emotions and the underlying tension of the story was magnificent. I think I would feel bereft to not get the rest of the series in audio.
All in all, this second leg of the series was even stronger than the first in my opinion. This was mostly because the job of introducing the series is behind us and we can get straight into the plot and further development of the characters. I anticipate it staying strong with all the good elements it has going for it. Definitely a recommend for urban fantasy lovers.
My thanks to Brilliance audio for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 7, 2017
Really good. You could see the sort of cliffhanger coming but she brought together the arc that belong to this story. The small cliffhanger was more of a pointer to where we're going next and I don't mind that. Also liked the new dimension of what's going on between her and Alex.
May 16, 2018
Great plot line but would have liked a longer story.
April 3, 2021
3.5 stars
November 3, 2017
I'm really enjoying this series. We got to see Lindy's powers in action and things are heating up between her and Alex. And, of course, Hector isn't quite out of the game yet. Such a great story. I'm looking forward to more.
December 22, 2017
I want this series to just keep on keeping on!
May 4, 2018
My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.
Switchback is another fun, if short installment in the Nightshade series.We have the head of the FBI Bureau of Preternatural Investigation team (BPI), Alex, coming off several weeks of recovery from a battle in the previous book. The team has been running a long trying to do their best without him. His second in command, and best friend, has been MIA for most of these weeks. Lindy, the second eldest known vampire/shade and BPI consultant, is going off on her own investigations, looking for her older brother and villain from book one.
It doesn’t take long after Alex rejoins his team that word comes in about several killings in a small town outside of Chicago, as in pretty much their entire police force was killed in the police station. BPI is on the case, as it looks like vampire killings. And there is a special needs boy that is missing.
While these stories are short, they are full of action and investigations for our FBI team. I’m really enjoying these characters. They all have different personalities that mix together really well.
The biggest fault that I have with this book, is that it ends (like the previous book) on a cliffhanger. I’m not anxiously awaiting book three.
Narration
Luke Daniels continues to do an amazing job with this series. I love his narration. He always does a great job with picking voices of both male and female characters. His pace and tone are always on point. If you’ve never tried Luke Daniels, you’re really missing out.
**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Switchback is another fun, if short installment in the Nightshade series.We have the head of the FBI Bureau of Preternatural Investigation team (BPI), Alex, coming off several weeks of recovery from a battle in the previous book. The team has been running a long trying to do their best without him. His second in command, and best friend, has been MIA for most of these weeks. Lindy, the second eldest known vampire/shade and BPI consultant, is going off on her own investigations, looking for her older brother and villain from book one.
It doesn’t take long after Alex rejoins his team that word comes in about several killings in a small town outside of Chicago, as in pretty much their entire police force was killed in the police station. BPI is on the case, as it looks like vampire killings. And there is a special needs boy that is missing.
While these stories are short, they are full of action and investigations for our FBI team. I’m really enjoying these characters. They all have different personalities that mix together really well.
The biggest fault that I have with this book, is that it ends (like the previous book) on a cliffhanger. I’m not anxiously awaiting book three.
Narration
Luke Daniels continues to do an amazing job with this series. I love his narration. He always does a great job with picking voices of both male and female characters. His pace and tone are always on point. If you’ve never tried Luke Daniels, you’re really missing out.
**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
November 24, 2017
For myself Olson's stories tend to be a hit or miss for me. This one was definitely a hit. I feel like we got a firmer grasp on the characters and I really enjoyed the plot in this one. I think I like this one a little bit better than the previous book.
In this book, the Alex and his BPI team are called out to go to Switch Creek, WI, where there was a mass murder of police office and office personnel. Right after one of their officers made an arrest of someone being a possible shade. During their investigation, the BPI find out that the chief of police was actually dirty. Could the murders be linked to the suspected shade? The dirty chief? Hector?
One thing I want to point out, the back cover says "the teams gets a call from Switch Creek, Wisconsin, where a twenty-something goth has been arrested on suspicion of being a shade." The person arrested was Aiden Kerns and there was not mention in the book with him being a goth. I don't know what happened there.
Overall, I liked this book. I felt like we get to know the characters a little bit better and they don't seem quite one dimensional. I liked this plot a little bit better because it is a little bit of trying to figure out the motivation of the killer(s).
One thing that bothered me about the story was the introduction of Kim Faraday (a new character who knows Jill Hadley). During Agent Hadley's internal thoughts we find out that Faraday is Vietnamese (or at least part). This bothered me because most of the other characters ethnicities is not stated (I'm assuming that much of them are white) and it sets white as the default.
In this book, the Alex and his BPI team are called out to go to Switch Creek, WI, where there was a mass murder of police office and office personnel. Right after one of their officers made an arrest of someone being a possible shade. During their investigation, the BPI find out that the chief of police was actually dirty. Could the murders be linked to the suspected shade? The dirty chief? Hector?
One thing I want to point out, the back cover says "the teams gets a call from Switch Creek, Wisconsin, where a twenty-something goth has been arrested on suspicion of being a shade." The person arrested was Aiden Kerns and there was not mention in the book with him being a goth. I don't know what happened there.
Overall, I liked this book. I felt like we get to know the characters a little bit better and they don't seem quite one dimensional. I liked this plot a little bit better because it is a little bit of trying to figure out the motivation of the killer(s).
One thing that bothered me about the story was the introduction of Kim Faraday (a new character who knows Jill Hadley). During Agent Hadley's internal thoughts we find out that Faraday is Vietnamese (or at least part). This bothered me because most of the other characters ethnicities is not stated (I'm assuming that much of them are white) and it sets white as the default.
September 9, 2022
"Switchback" is the second book in the Nightshades trilogy. The story begins in the town of Switch Creek, Illinois where an overly privileged man, Terry Anson, has been working as a beat cop. He is a bully and a drunk which is never a good mix. When he sees Aiden, a autistic man from his old high school he decides to hit him in the nose and then arrest him for licking the blood. It seems drinking blood is illegal in Switch Creek. No sooner than he is taken to the police station a massacre occurs where shades enter and kill almost everyone there.
Meanwhile, it is Alex's first day back to work at the BPI. Everyone is glad to see him and they are immediately called to Switch Creek to investigate the recent massacre at the police station. Soon, they begin to unravel some of the town's secrets including there are three shades in town who are behind the attack. One of them, Sloane is known by Lindy. The one in charge is a girl named Reagan. As the investigation progresses it will soon be clear that Hector is involved in the mix of things. The question is what is his end result?
I really enjoyed this read. The characters were interesting, compelling, and flawed. I really was saddened when one of them died in this installment. However, I am hoping that the final book in the trilogy might just bring them back. Who knows? It may be awhile before I read book 3 since it is $11.99 for 150 pages and I just don't understand why. I will patiently wait until it is on sale.
Meanwhile, it is Alex's first day back to work at the BPI. Everyone is glad to see him and they are immediately called to Switch Creek to investigate the recent massacre at the police station. Soon, they begin to unravel some of the town's secrets including there are three shades in town who are behind the attack. One of them, Sloane is known by Lindy. The one in charge is a girl named Reagan. As the investigation progresses it will soon be clear that Hector is involved in the mix of things. The question is what is his end result?
I really enjoyed this read. The characters were interesting, compelling, and flawed. I really was saddened when one of them died in this installment. However, I am hoping that the final book in the trilogy might just bring them back. Who knows? It may be awhile before I read book 3 since it is $11.99 for 150 pages and I just don't understand why. I will patiently wait until it is on sale.
October 27, 2017
I absolutely loved this book. To be honest I love everything that Melissa Olson writes, but I picked this up in the evening and didn't stop until the wee small hours. I just loved how complex all the characters were. Lindy really came off as 'old' but trying to be younger to fit in, and despite her great age there was a delightful wish to fit in with her new team. The switching points of view worked extremely well, without them we would not have got what was happening in the story. At a basic level this book covers about a day in the life of a small community in the rich suburbs and a team of BPI (Bureau of Preternatural Investigations) agents. It helps that I also enjoy a good police procedural/crime drama as this was also at it's heart. I also found myself having great sympathy with our bad guys, but the real big bad scares me more than ever. Now Hector is someone you really don't want to come across on a lonely dark night. He sent chills up my spine. I enjoyed how we are getting to know the team a little bit more, Hadley's background was really intriguing. I really hope that these books go on and on, as I am loving the characters and the world set up. Beautifully done and I was hooked.
October 28, 2017
"Switchback" is the second 200-page episode in Melissa Olson's series about an FBI unit tasked with investigating crimes by vampires (shades) whose existence has just been revealed to the world. The twist is that the FBI unit has the second oldest vampire in the world as a consultant.
Carrying straight on from "Nightshades", "Switchback" sees the team called in to investigate a shade attack on the police department of a small, rich, very white "village" just outside Chicago.
Like its predecessor, this is a light, fast, fun read that is well paced, well plotted and doesn't give you time to draw breath. Reading this is like watching an episode of a good SyFy show that's just getting into its stride and where all the mysteries lie ahead of you.
I could eat up one of these a week, so I hope Melissa Olson keeps them coming. There was a gap of fifteen months between the first two. Still, I'm also keen to read the next book in her Boundary Magic series and I live in hope of a sequel to "The Big Keep" so I'm willing to be patient.
Carrying straight on from "Nightshades", "Switchback" sees the team called in to investigate a shade attack on the police department of a small, rich, very white "village" just outside Chicago.
Like its predecessor, this is a light, fast, fun read that is well paced, well plotted and doesn't give you time to draw breath. Reading this is like watching an episode of a good SyFy show that's just getting into its stride and where all the mysteries lie ahead of you.
I could eat up one of these a week, so I hope Melissa Olson keeps them coming. There was a gap of fifteen months between the first two. Still, I'm also keen to read the next book in her Boundary Magic series and I live in hope of a sequel to "The Big Keep" so I'm willing to be patient.
September 30, 2018
A great follow up to Book 1, Nightshades, but not totally as good as the first so 4 stars. Glad that Lindy and Alex continue to resolve the issues around shades and humans. A virus causes vampirism is a novel twist. It works. In this episode, the special FBI team known as Bureau of Paranormal Investigations (BPI) is recovering from the violence which ended Book 1. Hector, the vampire king, and twin brother to Lindy is still out there but where? An attach in a small town near Chicago brings the BPI team in where a massacre has occurred in the local police station. Again, there are signs of vampires but not Hector. There are a few twists and turns and some stuff going on with Chase, Alex’s 2nd in command. But, we will need to read Book 3 to get to the final act. These short novellas are well written as are all of Ms. Olson’s books and leave the reader wanting more. Bring on the next book.
December 3, 2021
I love M. Olson's stories. They are engaging and captivating with their world-building and suspense. They are always fast paced, but not TOO fast that I can't keep up. Never never feel a lull in the stories that I have to force myself to push through to the next good part. They are always the kind of books that I finish in a few hours and eagerly go through the next one.
This story is no different. With Shades now or of the shadow, the world is still unsure what to do. Alex, Lindy, and the rest of their group are still trying to come to terms after their last run in that left both children and agents dead with the culprit in the wind. Alex's group is determine to catch Hector and show the world that not all Shades are bad. Before they can even think about how to make that happen, they get called in to another brutal Shade murder. They must all work together if they hope to catch a killer, but not everything is as it seems and not every one is who they appear.
This story is no different. With Shades now or of the shadow, the world is still unsure what to do. Alex, Lindy, and the rest of their group are still trying to come to terms after their last run in that left both children and agents dead with the culprit in the wind. Alex's group is determine to catch Hector and show the world that not all Shades are bad. Before they can even think about how to make that happen, they get called in to another brutal Shade murder. They must all work together if they hope to catch a killer, but not everything is as it seems and not every one is who they appear.
November 6, 2017
I loved this installment! With all the world building done in Nightshades, it was much easier to love Switchback! Lindy is a mesmerizing bad-a. I love Alex, of course. I love that Hadley was more of a developed character this time around instead of background noise. Hector remains ever elusive... and I loved the hook he played in what will be the third novella (granted I did see it coming for at least half the book). I just want these to keep going. They’re really like a good, serialized episode of Supernatural, but with a female at the lead (Lindy!) Dean and Sam can be Alex and Chase, respectively. I don’t know if/when the third novel will be released, but it’s definitely too far away for me!
November 1, 2017
On the edge of my seat all the way!
Constant revelations in an extremely well written thriller! The characters are well developed as well as interesting in their own ways. The dynamics of the relationships are strong and well thought out. There is obviously more to come, as the end leaves us with a bit of a cliffhanger. This frustrates me on one hand, because I like to have a book complete unto itself; on the other hand I know she won't just leave this hanging, so there's definitely another book to look forward to! Provided I don't die of anticipation waiting for it. Please don't make us wait too long!
Constant revelations in an extremely well written thriller! The characters are well developed as well as interesting in their own ways. The dynamics of the relationships are strong and well thought out. There is obviously more to come, as the end leaves us with a bit of a cliffhanger. This frustrates me on one hand, because I like to have a book complete unto itself; on the other hand I know she won't just leave this hanging, so there's definitely another book to look forward to! Provided I don't die of anticipation waiting for it. Please don't make us wait too long!
August 15, 2018
I meant to read Switchback a lot sooner, but it somehow kept getting pushed further and further back in my TBR pile. I'm so glad I finally found the time to read it! I loved the first book and this one was just as good. I was afraid I'd be a bit lost when I started it since it'd been a while since I finished Nightshades, but no worries. I dove right in with no trouble. It was an action packed, fast paced quick read. My only complaint was that I wished it had been longer. It ends with a cliffhanger, leaving me very eager for the next book. I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves urban fantasy.
June 7, 2020
And she just keeps getting better...
I have yet to read a book my Olson that hasn't hooked and impressed the hell out of me between her great ideas, storytelling, tight and precise writing and most impressive of all maybe for me, attention to detail and continuity.
This series truly is apart from her Old World works (which I LOVE), but it is seriously carrying its own weight. She's even brave enough to kill a few darlings along the way, though I won't spoil who. Excellent cliffhangers and as always, I enjoy her Acknowledgements almost as much as her stories. They're always so fresh. And the very last thanks for this book made me laugh out loud. Well done, my girl!
I have yet to read a book my Olson that hasn't hooked and impressed the hell out of me between her great ideas, storytelling, tight and precise writing and most impressive of all maybe for me, attention to detail and continuity.
This series truly is apart from her Old World works (which I LOVE), but it is seriously carrying its own weight. She's even brave enough to kill a few darlings along the way, though I won't spoil who. Excellent cliffhangers and as always, I enjoy her Acknowledgements almost as much as her stories. They're always so fresh. And the very last thanks for this book made me laugh out loud. Well done, my girl!
October 3, 2023
Miss Olson continues to impress with this second book in her Nightshades series. I continue to be amazed at the texture and imagination placed in her worlds. This one is even more to my liking than The Old World series due to its more grounded portrayal of vampires and their function in regard to humans.
The characters here lack some of the shine her other books are overflowing with, but that is relative to their length. Still, I don't want for personality, only development, though I imagine that by the time the series concludes, I will have the completed arcs that I am looking for.
It's another solid book by one of my favorite authors. 4/5
The characters here lack some of the shine her other books are overflowing with, but that is relative to their length. Still, I don't want for personality, only development, though I imagine that by the time the series concludes, I will have the completed arcs that I am looking for.
It's another solid book by one of my favorite authors. 4/5
October 27, 2017
I keep reading these too fast
Melissa Olson is a masterful storyteller. I've been immediately sucked into (pun intended) every book she's written, and this one is no exception. It reads even more like an FBI mystery than Nightshades. The relationships between characters and insights into their minds makes the story just so real. I really need to stop reading these so fast, because now I just absolutely can't wait for book 3, and I sincerely hope there are more to come after that.
Melissa Olson is a masterful storyteller. I've been immediately sucked into (pun intended) every book she's written, and this one is no exception. It reads even more like an FBI mystery than Nightshades. The relationships between characters and insights into their minds makes the story just so real. I really need to stop reading these so fast, because now I just absolutely can't wait for book 3, and I sincerely hope there are more to come after that.
October 31, 2017
Fast paced read!
Love this new series! I just wish was a bit longer! But I understand why author keeps books on shorter side-reads like an episode of crime drama mixed with supernatural elements. Plenty of action and developing relationships to keep reader inhaling book in practically on one sitting! Left off on cliffhanger but good news is author is extremely prolific writer and releases stories Quickly! Highly recommended for quick refreshing read.
Love this new series! I just wish was a bit longer! But I understand why author keeps books on shorter side-reads like an episode of crime drama mixed with supernatural elements. Plenty of action and developing relationships to keep reader inhaling book in practically on one sitting! Left off on cliffhanger but good news is author is extremely prolific writer and releases stories Quickly! Highly recommended for quick refreshing read.
November 11, 2017
Switchback is an excellent continuation of the story started in Nightshades. I love the fresh new spin on vampires (shades) and the Bureau of Preternatural Investigations. It reads more like a mystery with interesting supernatural elements. This instalment offered me a chance to get to know the main characters, Lindy and Alex, better. The cliffhanger ending has me wanting more - I will buy the next book and can't wait until it comes out!
July 8, 2018
I checked Switchback, book 2 of the Nightshades series, out from my local library. I really enjoy this dark, vampire, police thriller series. Lindy is an interesting character, a vampire forced into helping the FBI under threat of exposure. The FBI team is happy for her protection and experience while hunting "shades" but they are also afraid of her. The stories are well done and the plots unusual. I've had my library order the third book, and look forward to continuing the storyline.
September 6, 2025
A fantastic continuation of the story. Since it's the second book the world build is pretty much set it focuses on a mystery and the rest of the characters of the team. I will say for me there was a lot of characters to get to know and I had to make notes so I wouldn't get too confused who was talking. But by the end I loved all the characters and was invested in them all. The ending made me grab the third right away to see what happens.
February 2, 2018
Maybe 4.5 stars. These books are short and to the point - I find myself wanting just a liiiiiittle bit more! I love the Chicago setting (my suburb is mentioned!) and I enjoy being inside the mind of a shade that's playing for the other side. There's even a hint of romance. Lindy seems to be rediscovering her humanity.
More, please! We must know what's going to happen next!
More, please! We must know what's going to happen next!
February 14, 2018
It pulls you in
I wasn't sure where the book was going, some sequels aren't as good as the first book, but I thought this book was well written and interesting. There is a long game going, which I like, but it also held it's own as a separate story. Another great book by Melissa f Olson.
I wasn't sure where the book was going, some sequels aren't as good as the first book, but I thought this book was well written and interesting. There is a long game going, which I like, but it also held it's own as a separate story. Another great book by Melissa f Olson.
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