Audiobook: Fair Game by Patricia Briggs

Fair Game
Author: Patricia Briggs
Narrator: Holter Graham
Publication: Penguin Audio (March 6, 2012)
Length: 9 hours and 58 minutes

Description: Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega series - set in a world of shifting shapes, loyalty, and passion - brings werewolves out of the darkness and into a society in which fear and prejudice could make the hunters prey....

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: Since the werewolves have come out to the public, Charles is way too busy as his father Bran's executioner whose job it is to kill werewolves who break the rules. His last job was in Minnesota where he had to kill some werewolves who hunted down a sexual predator, killed him and ate him. This would likely have been okay with with werewolves if they hadn't had so much publicity about it. The Minnesota pack's Alpha wouldn't execute the wolves because they were the "good guys" which left the task to Charles. Charles is being haunted by their ghosts and he has closed off the mating bond with Anna to protect her.

Anna hasn't been able to convince Bran that something is really wrong with Charles until she tells him that he hasn't made any music for months. Even so, Bran still needs Charles as his executioner and doesn't know who else he can send on those jobs.

Meanwhile, the FBI is tracking a serial killer they have named the Big Game Hunter. They have been tracking him without success for years. But it appears that the killer's last three victims have been werewolves and the FBI would like to consult with some werewolves. Bran decides to send Anna and naturally Charles will be going along to protect her.

The FBI and a number of other government agencies including Homeland Security and CNTRP -
Combined Non-human and Trans-Human Relations Provisions - are involved though most of them are trying to get more information about the werewolves and finding the serial killer is a distant second goal.

When the latest victim of the serial killer turns out to be twenty-two-year-old Lizzie Beauclaire, the fae become involved. Lizzie is the daughter of Alistair Beauclaire who is an old and powerful fae who has been living undercover as a lawyer.

Anna and Charles call on the Boston pack led by Isaac Owens to help with the investigation. He brings in a black witch that the pack works with because the only way the kidnapping of Lizzie could have happened is if someone used magic.

This was an exciting story filled with all sorts of fascinating paranormal creatures. It was also an engaging mystery as the group tracks down a serial killer who has paranormal assets of his own. I love the relationship between Anna and Charles and love that Anna is getting used to her own strength and power.

The bombshell ending makes me very glad that I have the next book in the series on my Audible playlist and glad that I have read the Mercy Thompson series which gives me another look at the political implications of some decisions made in this story.

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