Wilding Nights

by Lee Killough

Homicide detective Allison Goodnight has a big problem. One look at the mutilated victim in her latest case tells her he has been killed by a rogue werewolf. She ought to know; she's a werewolf, too. Her whole family is--members of an ancient species separate from humans but passing as human. It is urgent that she close this case, without revealing the killer's nature, before more people die and humans' racial memory of her kind reawakens. But the killer is a stranger unknown to any of the local clan...and her new partner is watching her with unnerving intensity. If he sees too much, she may have to turn killer herself to protect her people. Zane Kerr has a problem. He was excited to be working with the detective having the highest clearance rate in the department, but Allison's secretive conduct of this case disturbs him. And when the description of a mysterious blonde woman seen with the victim matches a number of Allison's relatives, and even Allison herself, he has to wonder if she is trying to protect, not catch, the killer. One way or another he is determined to find out.

Genres: Romance, Ebooks, Paranormal, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Shapeshifters

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Lee Killough has been storytelling since the age of four or five, when she began making up her own bedtime stories. So when she discovered science fiction and mysteries about age eleven, she began writing her own science fiction and mysteries. Because her great fear was running out of these by reading everything her small hometown library had. It took her late husband Pat Killough, though, years later, to convince her to try selling her work. Her first published stories were science fiction and her short story, "Symphony For a Lost Traveler", earned a Hugo Award nomination in 1985.

She used to joke that she wrote SF because she dealt with non-humans every day...spending twenty-seven years as chief technologist in the Radiology Department at Kansas State University's Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital before retiring to write full-time.

Because she loves both SF and mysteries and hated choose between the two genres, her work combines them. Except for one fantasy, The Leopard’s Daughter, most of her novels are mysteries with SF or fantasy elements...with a preference for supernatural detectives: vampire, werewolves, even a ghost. She has set her procedurals in the future, on alien words, and in the country of dark fantasy. Her best known detective is vampire cop Garreth Mikaelian, of Blood Hunt, Bloodlinks, and Blood Games. Five of her novels and a novella are now available as e-books and she is editing more to turn into e-books.

Lee makes her home in Manhattan, Kansas, with her book-dealer husband Denny Riordan, a spunky terrier mix, and a house crammed with books.

Reviews

[Melyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book's take on werewolves. One of the things that made this urban fantasy seem possible is the fact that the werewolves are not a monolithic entity. There are divisions among them, political factions, variances on how they view "normal" humanity, and these all add strength to the idea that their society could possibly exist.

I also liked that their physical type was out of the norm for this kind of character. Though, I admit, when it was repeatedly mentioned how similar they all look to one another, I did have questions pop up in the back of my head about how they kept inbreeding from being a problem with such a relatively small gene pool, but that is my geek showing.

There were a couple of nice twists toward the end, that will stay secret so as not to spoil things for others, and the killer's reactions after meeting one of the male werewolves and finding out the truth about their lineage were very understandable.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. I did feel that the middle could have picked up the pace a bit more, but all in all, an excellent book that I would recommend to others.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The story line was good and there wasn't a quick resolution to the crime to move a romance or the shifter portion of the story. The crime was the most important part of the story with the shifter secrecy at second place and the story was better for it. I will look for more from Lee Killough

[Dara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique werewolf story

Definitely different take on the werewolf and elf legends.

It was a well handled how this 1 species is the basis for both elf and werewolf legends. The logistic of it make sense.

Both POV characters are well written and likable even when they're working against each other.

Over all entertaining and has some really nice twists and turns that make sense once you get to the destination.

It does have grammatical and word errors every couple of chapters but they are mild enough to not spoil the enjoyment of the reader.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this werewolf mystery. The book postulates a separate species that passes for human but, we need it, can manifest height and abilities that cause viewers to see something predatory… Leading to the legends of where creatures and other monsters in the night. At heart this book is a murder mystery and the werewolf storyline is secondary but I love the complex family and world building that exist.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine, as far as werewolf stories go.