Book Review: Fair Game by Patricia Briggs

Fair Game
Author: Patricia Briggs
Publication: Ace Hardcover; 1 edition (March 6, 2012)


Description: They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.

Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can't afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father's dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.

Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack's help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer's sights...

My Thoughts: Have you ever been torn between racing through a book to find out what happens and wanting to read a book slowly to savor every moment? That was where I was when I began this story. It is the third book in the Alpha and Omega series. I was already invested in these characters before I opened the book. I want to race through it to find out what was going to happen. But I also wanted to savor the relationship between Charles and Anna. Outwardly they seem so different. Charles is a dominant alpha werewolf who everyone is afraid of, and rightly so. He has been his father's enforcer for many, many years. If a werewolf causes trouble, Charles is the one Bran sends to take care of the problem. And Anna is an Omega wolf. She was forcibly changed, tortured, and abused before Charles rescued her. She saw herself as weak. But Charles has an sensitive side and Anna has plenty of strength and stubbornness.


Because of the political change that outed the werewolves Charles has been very busy cleaning up mistakes before they went public. But, being the werewolf executioner, is starting to do bad things to him. He is withdrawing from his mate and being haunted by the ghosts of the werewolves he has been forced to kill. Anna doesn't know what to do to help him. He wants to protect her from what he feels he is becoming and she wants to protect him from breaking. She finally convinces Bran that he has to do something before Charles breaks. The Marrok has a plan...


Charles and Anna are sent to Boston to work with the FBI to solve the case of a serial killer who has been active for years and who has just added three werewolves to his victims. Anna is to be the point person with Charles as her guard. They have two purposes - to aid the FBI and to get some good publicity for werewolves. Anna, looking rather soft and gentle, is a good wolf to send. Being an omega disposes both wolves and humans to like her and want to help her. 


The case quickly escalates when the human daughter of one of the fae is captured as the next victim. Alistair Beauclaire is one of the old and powerful fae. The fae and the werewolves don't really trust each other but can work together because of this common goal. The FBI, Homeland Security, and a new agency CNTRP (Combined Nonhuman and Transhuman Relations Provisors) get involved in the case. Though it seems like the werewolves are the reason for CNTRP's involvement more than the serial killers.


For the human side is FBI Agent Leslie Fisher who had an encounter with the fae when she was a child that makes up the prologue of this story. There was an interesting and varied cast of characters in this story. I liked both the police procedural aspect of the story and the emotional aspect of the story as Charles tries to battle his demons and Anna battles for him. 


I recommend this story to all lovers of urban fantasy, romance and werewolves. I can't wait to read it again and savor every situation. Do read Cry Wolf and Hunting Ground too to learn more about these fascinating characters.


Favorite Quote:

Leslie received a slow grin that took in her private censure and found it amusing. "He lost a bet and had to bring coffee for everyone. He's not happy about it, either. I probably shouldn't enjoy it so much, but sometimes I take great pleasure in sending a man off in a snit; don't you?"

She surprised a laugh out of Leslie. "Don't I just," she agreed before taking a wary breath. This one was getting to her--she never laughed while she was working. She reassessed the other woman. She looked like a teenager dressed in a tailor-make, gray pin-striped suit-dress that somehow appeared to be a costume she was wearing rather than real clothing.

"I bet," Leslie said, testing an idea, "that dangerous men stumble all over themselves to make sure you don't stub your toe."

She knew she was right when, instead of looking flustered, the woman just smiled archly. "And I make sure they apologize when they bump into each other doing it."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.