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Caledonia #1
Caledonia
Supernatural crime novel “When Scottish folklore meets everyday Glasgow.” Hard-drinking Detective Inspector Leah Bishop accepts a transfer from Edinburgh to a Glasgow branch of Interpol. Once there, she discovers that her fellow officers are otherworldly beings, and they police the supernatural world. They have called her in as the first human to ever work at Caledonia Interpol. Her job is to investigate a crime considered unimaginable to the the first serial killing of supernaturals. Urban fantasy pairing the grit and dark humour of everyday modern Glasgow with Scottish folklore, Caledonia follows Leah and her Victorian selkie partner, Dorian Grey, as they investigate supernatural crime in Scotland's city of culture.
Kindle Edition
First published February 20, 2015
2 people are currently reading
582 people want to read
About the author
Amy Hoff
39 books17 followersAmy Hoff lived on the American road for many years. She is a folklorist and historian specialising in Scotland, and has taught at the University of Glasgow. She lives in Scotland, where she runs a film and theatre company working on various different productions.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 24, 2015
...come, be enchanted by the Selkies and the Faer Folk in an unusual crime setting...
...I’m totally biased about this book because I was born and bred in Glasgow, where the story is set... notwithstanding that, readers with no knowledge of the city or its tough reputation will appreciate the gritty characterisation of the setting as much the players in the narrative... it is superbly imaginative and clever of the author to wrap the present-day human heroine, Leah Bishop into scenarios with Selkies, the Faer Folk and a modern vampira... all done with admirable credibility... murders of the Faer by one of their own kind is uncommon, and Bishop’s travails and eventual solving of the crimes is superbly handled... the colour and delicacy of the unconscionably beautiful male Selkies is a constant delight as the chapters unfold... regardless of whatever genre is your usual... this tale will tempt you all the way through.... most enjoyable...
...I’m totally biased about this book because I was born and bred in Glasgow, where the story is set... notwithstanding that, readers with no knowledge of the city or its tough reputation will appreciate the gritty characterisation of the setting as much the players in the narrative... it is superbly imaginative and clever of the author to wrap the present-day human heroine, Leah Bishop into scenarios with Selkies, the Faer Folk and a modern vampira... all done with admirable credibility... murders of the Faer by one of their own kind is uncommon, and Bishop’s travails and eventual solving of the crimes is superbly handled... the colour and delicacy of the unconscionably beautiful male Selkies is a constant delight as the chapters unfold... regardless of whatever genre is your usual... this tale will tempt you all the way through.... most enjoyable...
November 11, 2018
Amy Hoff needs a new editor. Some parts read as if they were out of order, and the wrap up at the end was a lot of exposition that wasn't compelling enough for me to continue with the series. The series premise is compelling: a freshly divorced PI and folklore enthusiast gets summoned by the Fae to assist them in catching a murderer.
There are a few things that stuck out to me as not being fleshed out enough:
1) In the story, she rarely uses any of her folklore skills. When she does the act isn't framed in the context of her using her specialized knowledge. It's are more of a sidenote. This was a big reason she was picked for this job, why not make a bigger deal out of it?
2) Since I had no prior knowledge of selkies, some of their skills kind came off as "Deus Ex Machina". and I had to check Wikipedia to confirm.
3) Dylan's entire side story was completely unnecessary and should have been in another book.
4) From my best guess, this was written in the style of someone who likes to visit Scotland often but doesn't consider themselves living there. There was a disconnected feel to the description.
Amy has a good story here, but the entire thing could have been written just a little better.
There are a few things that stuck out to me as not being fleshed out enough:
1) In the story, she rarely uses any of her folklore skills. When she does the act isn't framed in the context of her using her specialized knowledge. It's are more of a sidenote. This was a big reason she was picked for this job, why not make a bigger deal out of it?
2) Since I had no prior knowledge of selkies, some of their skills kind came off as "Deus Ex Machina". and I had to check Wikipedia to confirm.
3) Dylan's entire side story was completely unnecessary and should have been in another book.
4) From my best guess, this was written in the style of someone who likes to visit Scotland often but doesn't consider themselves living there. There was a disconnected feel to the description.
Amy has a good story here, but the entire thing could have been written just a little better.
November 4, 2017
Fun quick read
This was a really fun, quick read. Good character progression with a nice twist at the end. Would read more if it becomes a series!
This was a really fun, quick read. Good character progression with a nice twist at the end. Would read more if it becomes a series!
November 19, 2017
Slow start, but really worth it
It took a bit for me to get into the narrative style, but once I got used to it, I thought it was beautifully suited for the story. I loved the interactions that Leah had with everyone at Caledonia Interpol, and I really want to read more in this universe now.
It took a bit for me to get into the narrative style, but once I got used to it, I thought it was beautifully suited for the story. I loved the interactions that Leah had with everyone at Caledonia Interpol, and I really want to read more in this universe now.
June 20, 2017
A great book that combines Scottish folklore with the modern life in Glasgow.
Gives you a feeling between "reading the Secrets of the Immortal Nicolas Flamel" and "watching Supernatural".
A Must read for every fantasy and adventure fan out there :)
Gives you a feeling between "reading the Secrets of the Immortal Nicolas Flamel" and "watching Supernatural".
A Must read for every fantasy and adventure fan out there :)
January 29, 2018
A Cheap, Average Book for a Very Short Read
The overall plot is good, but it the grammar isn't the greatest for publication. Too short. And Dylan's accent is more annoying than comedic. There's a reason this book is cheap. But if more are made, I'll still probably read them.
The overall plot is good, but it the grammar isn't the greatest for publication. Too short. And Dylan's accent is more annoying than comedic. There's a reason this book is cheap. But if more are made, I'll still probably read them.
July 31, 2020
What a gorgeous read!
I wondered what I was letting myself in for with this title. Sure glad I picked it up. A certain amount of mystery in the tale and reference to how we remember folklore.
I wondered what I was letting myself in for with this title. Sure glad I picked it up. A certain amount of mystery in the tale and reference to how we remember folklore.
February 7, 2021
The premise wasn't bad but the pacing if the story was weird and confusing. So I haven't enjoyed reading
May 7, 2020
Make no mistake, I did love this book. The humour is appealing, the story fun and it's clear the author knows what she's talking about folklore wise.
However some things are put in as throwaway lines that I just wish would get explored in more depth, there is so much that could be extended and embraced to give this wondrous version of Glasgow more life, tie it in with the everyday culture and existence of this city.
Reading this, I felt like I was reading a story outline, rather than a full fetched book... And man I really want to read the full story
However some things are put in as throwaway lines that I just wish would get explored in more depth, there is so much that could be extended and embraced to give this wondrous version of Glasgow more life, tie it in with the everyday culture and existence of this city.
Reading this, I felt like I was reading a story outline, rather than a full fetched book... And man I really want to read the full story
February 23, 2015
Interesting intro
A potential series with room to grow. While the book was choppy enough that I nearly walked away, it definitely improved with more pages.
I enjoy the premise a good deal and I like the characters. These monsters are more than human enough for my empathy to toe the line.
Other than a character suddenly appearing through the walls of time who sent me scurrying back through the chapter as his appearance confused me, I have only one other complaint, the slang. Some sentences were lost on this American brain, when I could find no definitions in either Wikipedia nor the Oxford English Dictionary. If you are going to use regional/local slang include an appendix please.
I look forward to examining the next Leah Bishop tale.
A potential series with room to grow. While the book was choppy enough that I nearly walked away, it definitely improved with more pages.
I enjoy the premise a good deal and I like the characters. These monsters are more than human enough for my empathy to toe the line.
Other than a character suddenly appearing through the walls of time who sent me scurrying back through the chapter as his appearance confused me, I have only one other complaint, the slang. Some sentences were lost on this American brain, when I could find no definitions in either Wikipedia nor the Oxford English Dictionary. If you are going to use regional/local slang include an appendix please.
I look forward to examining the next Leah Bishop tale.
December 25, 2015
Amy Hoff's "Caledonia" is an interesting paranormal read. I learned a lot about Scottish folklore while reading this tale. I had no idea what a selkie was (or any of the other mythical creatures in this book). A quick and fun read for sure. Sort of like the TV show, Grimm, but with different creatures! I am going to have to try the web series!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews