Excellent! A wonderful addition to the BSI series. ( )

I received this ebook from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. It's apparently not the first book of the series which I found a bit frustrating at times since I'm the kind of person that likes all the background on what the characters have already been through but on the positive side, I enjoyed this book enough to make me want to get the other books and read them!

I Left My Haunt in San Francisco by Mark Everett Stone is about Kal Hakela who heads a team of specialists that work for a secret government agency known as BSI or the Bureau of Supernatural Investigation. Their job is to protect the population from supernatural threats from the World Under. In this story the BSI is called in to investigate one of its own, a former member and friend, who committed suicide but left a clue in blood on his body that lets Kal know that some supernatural nasties were involved and that it's a job for BSI rather than the regular police.

The dialogue is witty, sharp and intelligent. Kal is tough, but likeable and his team is full of interesting characters with unique abilities. I found it especially interesting in how the author incorporated the real life historical figure Joshua Abraham Norton, who in 1859 proclaimed himself "Emperor of these United States" and subsequently "Protector of Mexico", a man who was loved and celebrated by the people of San Francisco. I love that Kal goes to his grave to request help, burning some of Norton's currency to "call" him and risking the ghost's wrath and sorrow while playing on his devotion to his city in the face of threat to try to gather information on the case. Very creative!

It's a good urban fantasy, a little bit gritty (which I tend to like) and fast-paced and exciting. The fight with the huge wasp on the rooftop near the start took by breath away. I also like that in addition to all the action, the author gives Kal some moments of introspection, especially now as he has clearly accomplished the quest he undertook to avenge his murdered sister. It gives him some depth, as does the fact that he's getting older and a bit slower and creakier than he once was. Made him feel very real.

I look forward to reading more about Kal and the BSI as well as picking up the first few books to catch up on what's already happened to them. ( )

Kal Hakela is an agent from the Bureau of Supernatural Investigation which protects the unsuspecting population from all manner of supernatural threats. Kal and his team are sent to San Francisco to investigate when a friend and former BSI agent kills himself, leaving Kal a clue. The city is also where, on an earlier mission, he killed a serial rapist who murdered his victims with magic. This left Kal with a powerful supernatural enemy in San Francisco. His current case becomes more dangerous, with gargoyles and giant insects to battle. It soon becomes clear that the fate of the whole world depends on Kal and his team.

This is a fun urban fantasy adventure. I enjoyed the wry voice of the protagonist. It has a hard-boiled detective feel to it. The interactions between Kal and his team were entertaining. The action was non-stop and well described. The threats were formidable and the villains were diabolical. Quite a bit of the novel was a flash-back to the earlier case, which was sometimes confusing since it wasn't always immediately clear whether the narration was current or the flash-back. By the end of the novel, the two cases came together and it became obvious why the author included the flash-back scenes.

This is the third novel in the series but I felt this book stood quite well on its own. ( )

I Left My Haunt in San Francisco by Mark Everett Stone 4 stars

Great book! Urban fantasy/paranormal with tons of action & magic. Kal and the BSI (Bureau of Supernatural Investigation)have a mystery on their hands when one of their own dies and only Kal can solve the puzzle while dodging various and nasty supernatural beings along the way. The BSI is an interesting idea for this genre but in this story Kal and his crew can't rely on the Bureau, only on their wits & skills to outsmart some scary supernatural villains.

This is the 3rd in a series that I haven't read before so I was a little lost at times trying to figure out who all these people are and why we care about them but Stone does a good job with back story. I did wonder in a few places if he was using the rehash as a way to 'flesh out' the book but in the end he brought it all together and it made sense. In fact, the back story parts were so good that I've ordered the other two books so I can catch up with these characters and the BSI.

(I received a copy of this book to read & review, this is my own personal opinion) ( )

I have to agree with the other reviewers- this book is a lot of fun and it moves quickly. The characters are wonderfully believable and the action never stops. I will have to go back and read the first two in the series- I felt like I missed references to things past (although this did not detract from the story in the least). Thanks to LT Early Reviewers for the introduction to a new author and a good series. ( )