Book Review: Dancing with Werewolves by Carole Nelson Douglas

Dancing with Werewolves
Author: Carole Nelson Douglas
Series: Delilah Street, Paranormal Investigator (Book 1)
Publication: Juno Books (November 5, 2007)

Description: Paranormal investigator Delilah Street, who watched underworld beings like vampires and witches move into the real world during a Y2K television broadcast as an orphan, moves to Las Vegas to search for a possible blood relative shown on CSI. 

It was the revelation of the millennium: witches, werewolves, vampires and other supernaturals are real. Fast-forward 13 years: TV reporter Delilah Street used to cover the small-town bogeyman beat back in Kansas, but now, in high-octane Las Vegas—which is run by a werewolf mob—she finds herself holding back the gates of Hell itself. But at least she has a hot new guy and one big bad wolfhound to help her out...

My Thoughts: Delilah Street was an unwanted orphan in a Catholic orphanage when Y2K brought all sorts of paranormal creatures into public. She had a difficult time because she was incredibly attractive to vampires with her Snow White coloring. Once grown, she became an investigative reporter in Kansas who focused on the paranormal beat. However, a jealous weather witch and a spurned vampire anchorman convince her to move away for a new start.

Having seen a murder victim on CSI V who is her exact double helps her decide that Las Vegas should be her new destination. The current version of Las Vegas is controlled by werewolf gangs and somewhere there is the answer to her lookalike.

She soon finds herself living in the guesthouse of the producer of CSI V who is just as eager as she is to find out why one of his now-famous corpses is her exact double. She adopts a new dog - this time a huge wolfhound cross - to replace her former lhasa apso who died from a vampire bite. And she meets a man who dowses for corpses. Ric is former FBI and fascinated with Delilah.

This book introduces a wide variety of paranormal creatures beyond werewolves and vampires. There are zombies who have become reanimated film stars which fits right into Delilah's fascination with vintage film and fashion. There is a vampire version of Howard Hughes.

Delilah was an interesting character who has a number of hangups from her childhood to overcome. She is also developing some interesting paranormal talents of her own. I liked her investigative reporter's instincts and her self-esteem issues.

Favorite Quote:

Quick regarded me with such intelligent eyes that I wanted to put a pair of sunglasses over them so as not to give away his awesome IQ. Whiles he was looking so Rhodes Scholarish, I added, "Ric is a great guy and I really, really like him, so you will not treat him as an appetizer tray, got it?"

Quicksilver growled softly and stared out the open side window, letting his tongue flap through his fangs so he looked like the usual idiot canine easy rider.

When your dog is better at undercover work than you are, you have a problem.

I bought this one October 13, 2007. You can buy your copy here.