Witch Craft

Nocturne City #4

by Caitlin Kittredge

Someone, or some thing , is setting fire to the homes of the city's most infamous non-humans, racking up a body count that's growing by the day. And strange, otherworldly creatures no one has seen before―selkies trolls and harpies―are causing chaos throughout the city. Racing to stop the carnage, Luna turns to sexy federal agent Will Fagin for help. As they work to uncover the source of the bloodshed, Luna's attraction for Will deepens. But just as she learns Will's darkest secret, Nocturne City is thrust into total chaos―leaving Luna and Will in a path of destruction they may not be able to stop…or survive.

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

352 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2009

About the author

Caitlin started writing novels at age 13. Her first was a Star Wars tie-in. Fortunately, she branched out from there and after a few years trying to be a screenwriter, a comic book writer and the author of copious amounts of fanfiction, she tried to write a novel again. Her epic dark fantasy (thankfully) never saw the light of day but while she was struggling with elves and sorcerers she got the idea of writing a story about a werewolf who fought crime.

Two years and many, many drafts later, she pitched Night Life to a bevy of agents and one of them, Rachel Vater, sold the series to St. Martin’s.

Caitlin collects comic books, print books, vintage clothes, and bad habits. She loves tea, loud music, the color black (especially mixed with the color pink) and ghost stories. She can drive a stick shift, play the violin and knows more English curses than American ones.

Caitlin lives in Olympia, WA with two pushy cats.

http://us.macmillan.com/bonegods/Cait...

Reviews

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a lot better than the previous in the series. I felt Luna was acting more like herself in this one. She has her own squad, and she's a Liutenant. The other police task forces don't like her, and they don't like her squad, so as usual Luna is at a disadvantage. She is told by the higher ups, that if the squad doesn't start closing more cases they will be shut down.

The newest case Luna and her squad are trying to solve involves a house that seems to mysteriously catch fire and burn to a crisp within 5 minutes. There's a new fed in town that's cocky and insisting the case is his and not Luna's, plus there might be a traitor among the crowd. And Sunny (Luna's cousin) is dating a new man and Luna finds it disgusting lol.

I really enjoyed this one. I felt like the last book was too centered on Dmitri and his issues. It slowed down the story for me. This book was all Luna trying to solve a case and stopping some evil things. She was witty and humorous, and at times I wanted to shake her for being a little TSTL. But that's just Luna. I liked the side characters, and I have a strange affection for Kelly, despite him being kind of an ass. We'll see what happens with him in the next book. Of course I liked seeing Asmodeous, I have a thing for evil demons lol. He's obviously going to be in the next book. Can't wait for the next installment.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Luna is back and the crazy crimes keep coming, only this time around she is in charge of her own squad and can do what she wants. The people of the squad are an interesting mix and don't always do the things that you expect them. Sunny seems to start to take a more active role in helping Luna.

I liked that Lucas was back. I think him and Luna are interesting together. Nothing good can happen there, but it would be fun none the less. There is also a new guy in the mix with Will, the ATF guy. I loved how he would try to flirt with Luna and she basically would tell him off. For some reason he just kept doing it bring some good levity.

The crimes this time seem to snow ball getting bigger and bigger the more Luna digs. It seems like at every turn there is someone there to beat her down. In the end the battle gets to be epic and only with everyone pulling together is it possible to come out ahead. Now Luna just needs to see if she can do it. Getting help from an unexpected source will have repercussions in the future. Can't wait to see those.

[Roxanne Wyndham · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is such a hard read. The writing is unbelievably and I don’t mean that in a good way. It has good moment but the unnecessary descriptive words are unbearable. The book seems to be meant for a patient adolescent.

[S.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are getting better, I think. The writing and story was more interesting, and Luna is showing real growth as a character.

[Me · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is her best yet. Luna finally seems to be relaxing and not so foul. Her new team, while not being fully fleshed out, is shaping up. They are a bit more than cardboard cutouts.

[Paschalis]

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[SAMANTHA COOK · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the whole series and loved it! Wish there more books still coming but this is a great series.

[Sarah Mangan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fifth book by Kittredge that I have read, but the first that I would say was better than just ok. The first two chapters were much like the previous books I read. The writing style was outdated, and I noticed a few things that I had issues with. After that it got a bit better. Still took me more than a week to read it bc it just didn't really draw me in until 2/3 of the way through the book. Unique storyline, just needed a bit more polishing.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew, that the only things to make this book WAY better than the previous three are to get rid of Dmitri (THANK YOU CAITLIN!) and to give Luna her own squad that she can control. Seriously, this book wins over the previous three. I love it and I don't have any inclination to kill Luna in every chapter because she's being a high tempered bitch.

I think Luna is so good having her own squad, without having to answer to other people (well, except the commissioner but it's not like she answers to him everyday). I know that Mac (her ex-Lieutenant) is nice to her, but in previous three books she must also deals with Mac's boss, and that's not fun. Here, Luna handles Supernatural Crime Squad (SCS) and her detectives are mixed from David Bryson(!) -- whom I already guess will actually be good friend for Luna, since book #3 -- Pete Anderson (the CSU tech I already fond of since the first time he appeared), an ex-special victim detective, an ex-SWAT, a rookie, and an ex-Narc detective. Sure, along the course of the book, we find out that there's a traitor inside the SCS, but in the end, the squad is just solid.

Then there is the lack of Dmitri (except in passing) which is SO, SO GOOD for me. I never like that guy. I dislike him for pushing Pack agenda to Luna. So now, in this book, Luna having two men interested in her, Lucas the wendigo, as well as ATF Agent Will Fagin, who is actually a cursed immortal, is way better than having Dmitri being possesive bastard over her. I really like Will, I think he's good for Luna. He can handle Luna's sarcasm with easy breezy attitude.

I love the new development of Sunny dating Mac (yay for Mac). I enjoy the case and investigation of the Thelamites. It's truly a better book and now I want to read book #5 in happy mood (compared to before). The only thing that I'm worried about is that Dmitri will be in book #5 and I don't want him :(

[keikii Eats Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

To read more reviews in this series and others, check out keikii eats books!

55 points/100 (3 stars)

Luna is a homicide detective in Nocturne City. Someone or something is setting fire to homes of non-humans, and more and more people are dying because of it. The city is in chaos, and it is Luna's job to make it go back to normal. 

Overall, completely mediocre. And probably the least coherent so far. There are fires all over the city, witches are doing things with daemons, and daemons are doing weird things, and bad guys are shooting at them and...more? I don't even know what this book was, other than a mess.

Luna spends most of the book trying to escape death. Someone has tried to kill her, repeatedly. And..she doesn't seem to be particularly worked up by this idea. Or even disturbed about it. She spends absolutely no mental energy on this at all, when most sane people would kind of worry about this fact. The only thing she cares about is how it may pertain to her case. She doesn't even know for certain! Arghh!

At least she got her own taskforce to deal with the supernatural things in Witch Craft. She is their Lieutenant. Only, she doesn't actually do any leading. Ever. About anything. She carries on the same as she did before - poorly. All she does is call her team together to go over things, and then dismisses them. Then she does everything on her own, all over again. Incoherently.

I increasingly despair about the end of this series. All I can hope is that it is better than the ones before.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luna Wilder has stepped in it again! Now that Luna has been promoted to lieutenant of her very own squad, she is trying to focus on being the boss, while trying to keep her predatory were half under control. Unfortunately for Luna, her usual behavior of running off half-cocked is not going to help protect Nocturne City from the Blood witches, murderous pyromaniacs and very ravenous netherworld creatures that are invading her city.

I agree with another reviewer, if you are looking for a police procedural novel, this installment is not it. It's more like Luna flies by the seat of her pants and hopes for the best. I enjoy Luna's interaction with Lucas as oppose to Dmitri's constant quest for total domination over Luna.

A couple of things bothered me about this installment. Luna's character has matured just a bit in this installment; however she still is overly sassy and reckless. I'm also pretty disappointed in the way Luna treats her were. She pretty much ignores her were, never really enjoys that part of herself and hardly ever changes to her were to give her some freedom. It's almost as if her were doesn't exist until she needs her.

This installment was chock full of excitement, action and mystery. I highly recommend this book and series and I am looking forward to reading the next book Daemon's Mark due out 5/2010.

I also recommend:
Bad Blood (Crimson Moon, Book 1)
They Call Me Death
Sins & Shadows
Tempting Danger (The World of the Lupi, Book 1)
Night Child (OSI, Book 1)

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good enough to keep me interested in this urban fantasy series, but I keep getting the feeling that the writing has holes in it. I'm not in love with this series, so I spread out reading the first 4 books over quite a bit of time, and worst, I read the 3rd book before the 2nd one, which was confusing, but I still get the feeling that I'm missing something. I even went to the author's website to see if there are short stories in between the books that fill in the gaps. Doesn't look like it. So I have to wonder if the author has a problem keeping her timeline straight, or at least conveying important connectors. I also have a problem with the heroine's (Luna's) attitude. She's mean and surly too often to have anyone take her seriously as a friend, professional, or lover. I don't get why the other characters don't abandon her. The world Luna lives in is dark and interesting, though, and I like her various damaged-goods boyfriends.

In this book, Luna is suddenly the lutenent in charge of the new supernatural crimes division of Nocterne City's police department. Don't ask me how she got the job. Last I remember, she was being courted by the FBI and had been on SWAT. If the department doesn't solve a big case, they will be shut down, so she's under a lot of pressure. That big case involves smuggling, arson, demons, and witches with scary powers. Along the way Luna considers getting together with Wendigo Lucas and meets another man named Will.

[Joletta · Rating 4 out of 5]

See! This is why I was almost loathe to start this book. I read and read and read until it was finished...and double checked the page numbers to make sure there were none missing.

Our wild, stubborn and sometimes furry Luna is now the Lieutenant of a special task force created for supernatural crimes. She has a ragtag unit made up of very different personalities; Included in this group is Detective Bryson (BRYSON!)

Luna's unit career is on the line...she has to solve a set of supernatural crimes involving madness, mayhem, murder and fires of suspicious origin. Of course, our favorite Insoli bitch acts as she knows best...with sarcasm and violence, which means plenty of action and butt whupping to go around.

With Dimitri gone, Luna's love life is comparable to a black hole. Into the void slinks Federal ATF officer Will Fagan; gorgeous, mouthy and a little bit dangerous...in short, Luna's cup o' tea. Fagan is not all that he seems, and he may not have Luna's city or Luna's best interests at heart.

I am still mourning Dimitri's absence, but am mildy mollified by Fagan and our favorite Wendigo hottie , Lucas. Witch Craft is fast paced, blood thirsty and full of snappy one liners. Kittredge has outdone herself. I can't wait to foray into Luna's Nocturne City again...you never know who or what lurks in the shadows...if you wanna kiss it or kill it (or in Luna's case, both).

[Bethany C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, but for some reason can't make myself give it 5 stars. I really don't have any major complaints about it-it was well-written, held my interest the entire time, and I liked the flow of action and the plot. I like Luna (although I think it's kind of cheeseballs to name a werewolf Luna Wilder.) The only thing I didn't like was that I had a hard time figuring out who all of her co-workers were and attributing to them what they were supposed to be like. Some of that comes from it being a long time since I read the last book in the series, but part comes from Luna alternately and on the same page referring to them using their last and then first names. I would frequently think to myself 'wait, I thought she was talking to x...is that just his last/first name, or someone else?'
I think my favorite part about this series is that usually in uf/pnr there's always this one guy that the heroine is always 'supposed' to be with/end up with. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I find it refreshing that Kittredge has presented one of the few exceptions to that rule.

[Filipa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fourth adventure of Nocturne Series featuring Luna Wilder.
I have to say that this fourth book really is better than the previous one. The third book was just sad to read.
But this one was actually a good read. So, in this book Luna Wilder is Lieutenant of SCS - Supernatural Crimes Squad, I think that's it.
There isn't anything new. Luna catches another case, her life is threatened a thousand times and sometime in between she meets another guy.
Well actually , she is torn between two guys - Lucas and Will.
This is getting old - in the previous book was Lucas and Dmitri. Despite those little details the rest of the book was bearable, being the best part the case that Luna is trying to solve.
I thought the final scene was a little bit exaggerated, but the case in general was pretty great.
I'll be sure to read the fifth and final book though I have no real expectations.

[4fabfelines Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luna is once again in over her head in investigations. She heads up the paranormal investigative branch of the Nocturne police force.
She is so battling things that shuld not be on this side of the earth and wonders what or who is calling these other world creatures up?
They are attacking her and targeting others through firestorms.
To make matters more complicatied a new agent named Will fagan shows up and he is from the FBI to investigate these problems.
Luna soon finds out that this is a much deeper problem than just a few fires and odd creatures.
Some one is calling up a ancient evil and Luna is going to need her grandmother and Sunny's wisdom this time.
Will Luna be able to swallow her pride and accept help? To make things even more complcated Luna thinks she has a agent that is double crossing her and she must flush out the tratior

[Naomi Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to read this without knowing what the cover of the book was like, and I'm glad I didn't know. Really? Why isn't she wearing clothes? Especially since clothes are really important to the character. There is only one small part of the book where she's dresses as a hooker and that's what they decide should be on the cover of the book?

That being said.

I really loved this. She's so sassy and has so much attitude. AND. I never once cringed because the book was trying to be feminist and was failing. The book just was. She was feisty and a werewolf and a person who liked vintage clothing.

There were a lot of characters, but even though I was jumping in on book 4 I was still able to figure out who everyone was. I so want to read the rest of this series now. There was mystery and suspense and mythical creatures and all sorts of fun exciting things.

Thumbs up to this author.

[Lachelle Shamma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been trying really hard to get in to reading just in general. And the fact that I read this book in 3 days says a lot. It once took me years to finish a book I was mildly interested in. The story pulls you in and just forces you to find out what twist is going to happen next. Questioning how things are going to turn out after each chapter. I really liked the main character.

I think this is #4 of the Nocturne city series. It did reference events that probably happened in the books before it. But not so much that you couldn't still follow the story line. It's made me want to read more from the author. And not just books from this series.

At first the title didn't seem to go with the story until you continued to read through. And the cover picture doesn't make sense at all. Like there was a mix up at the printers.

[DarkHeart "Vehngeance" · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entertaining entry in the Nocturne City series. I enjoyed seeing the changes in Luna as she now heads her own department. My frustration with her in Second Skin was gone, as Dimitri is no longer around, her attempts to sabotage their relationship having succeeded.

It was a pleasant surprise to see Lucas return with a fairly substantial role. He was very intriguing in the last book and even more so here.

Will was a wonderful addition, bringing a nice balance to Luna and some comic relief.

The overall mystery was a good one and I look forward to more adventures with Luna and her team.

[Lynn Calvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazon preorder

Near alternate world. Heroine, Luna Wilder is a police officer (previously homocide now Lt. Wilder in charge of a supernatural crimes unit and a werewolf herself.

Swear words are Hexed this that and the other.

Interesting and gritty, several men, but Luna isn't moving forward with any of those relationships. She has a sister who she has a pretty good relationship, who lives with their grandmother (both of them witches) who violently disapproves of Luna's life choices.

The arson/city in danger from evil forces plot is well done, and I'm glad to see some reasonably well thought out look at something other than your standard vampires and such. (Wendigos, and so on.)

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, I am utterly shocked that our heroine have actually grown up a bit. Luna has her own task force where she heads up the Supernatural Crimes Squad for Nocturne City. For someone who has major issues she needs all the help of she can get. Luna has the aid of an AFT agent, Will — their banter cracks me up. And even Sunny has started helping Luna out with her knowledge, I am so overjoyed with her relationship with Mac.

The Lucas vs. Will drives me crazy, I hate love triangles, it just annoys the hell out of me — and good riddance to Dmitri.

An action packed read where the series got better — mysterious fires, demons and supernatural creatures...oh my! Looking forward to reading book 5 and getting to know more about Asmodeous.

[Kerry sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed this book, I found it harder going than the previous book in this series. I didn't like Will and felt there was not enough sexual tension between Luna and him to make me believe a relationship was coming, or would work. Now Lucas is a different matter that is a relationship I could see working despite the hurdles, like him being a fugitive.
If I had read this book first I would not have read any more in the series. I felt a little let down by it as Luna is such a strong personality and lovable with it, she deserved more then she got emotionally in this instalment. Lets hope the next one does her better justice.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone, or something, is setting fire to the homes of the city's most infamous non-humans, racking up a body count that's growing by the day. And strange, otherworldly creatures no one has seen before—selkies trolls and harpies—are causing chaos throughout the city. Racing to stop the carnage, Luna turns to sexy federal agent Will Fagin for help. As they work to uncover the source of the bloodshed, Luna's attraction for Will deepens. But just as she learns Will's darkest secret, Nocturne City is thrust into total chaos—leaving Luna and Will in a path of destruction they may not be able to stop…or survive.

[Jupiter1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not quite what I expected but I thought this one was much better than the previous book. Something was off about the third book, I don't know why, but I didn't like it as much. This one was a lot better. It was fresh, and had some good surprises that I didn't see coming and an interesting mystery in the new character agent, Will Fagen and I'm interested in seeing how that relationship between him and Luna plays out. Overall, I thought this was a great book and a great addition to the series. Kudos to the author. I hope the next and last book will be just as good.

[Yvonne Boag · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the series. Luna Wilder is a homicide detective and a lone werewolf. Someone is setting fires killing people in the process. It looks like witch craft but how could one person be behind it all. Luna and her team have to solve the case before they get shut down for good. And now someone has Luna in their sights and they are determined to see her dead.
I like this series. It's good urban fantasy with a healthy dose of mystery. The action never stops and I think she will only get better.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth in a series where I've not read the first 3. Having disclosed that, I'll say that I liked it a lot. I could tell that I was missing a few background stories on some things, but it didn't make me feel lost, just that I wanted to know more. I simultaneously liked and didn't like Luna. I felt for her a lot of the times, but I didn't care for her tactics with suspects at all. Anyway, I'll be looking for more of these books.

[Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I came in on this book of this series, and there was an awful lot of back story I wasn't quite understanding. I think though, had I read earlier books, I would have thought this was pretty fun. Luna is (*shock*, with that name) a werewolf. She comes from a bunch of witches, deals in demons, and has a chip on her shoulder as big as Arkansas. Hell is literally going to be set loose in Nocturne City, unless she and her special crime division can stop it.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading about the chaos that is Luna's life. Trouble always has a way of following her around. I thought there would be a bit more of the "attraction" to Will, since the back cover states, "...Luna's attraction for Will deepens...". But, guess more to come in book #5? Have to say I was kinda rootin' for Lucas. :)

[Mrs. Badass · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little progress with Luna in the not always so darn stupid, arrogant, and bitchy. She actually had a little emotion in this book.
I liked Will, and was sort of weirded out by her continued fascination with Lucas. I find him an interesting character, but can't see what/why Luna would want to be with him... he did try to kill her. a few times...

[Irene Hollimon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, I thought it was better than the last one. Maybe the best in the series. My only complaint was when she got all police brutality on Talon. The author did make her feel bad about doing it. But it was still wrong. It was an ends justifies the means scene and it doesn't fit with our heroine, flawed as she is.