Loved the book but now it seems she stopped writing in this series so I am bummed out. ( )

Since a 2nd edition was released in 2017 maybe a second book is coming??? I hope so. I liked the characters, the story, and the world building. ( )

Harri Phillecky is a former newspaper photographer turned private eye. She is also half siren and half elf and not accepted by either side of her family. She isn't like her siren mother though she understands and accepts her lifestyle. Nor is she acknowledged by her elf father whose relationship with a siren is a matter of great embarrassment to him.

When her elven Uncle Lyle comes to her to have her find out what happened to his siren girlfriend Mona, Harri is back in the middle of things she would rather not relive. Her Uncle Lyle is the only one who has acknowledged her at all mostly because he is just as much an outcast as she is. And he doesn't consider her family.

Harri quickly discovers that Mona has been killed and the missing person case has become a murder case. Mona was living in a building owned by Harri's half-brother Val and had her other half-brother Gilroy as one of her clients. Harri quickly has more suspects than she knows what to do with.

Harri is also busy trying to help her friend Keale who is a dragon. Keale has a reputation for flying drunk but this time he hit a helicopter and killed the four people inside. Only Keale has no idea what he was doing in the area and swears he hadn't been drinking. She is certain that he was drugged. She calls on her Uncle Lyle who is a lawyer to represent Keale and make sure he is drug tested.

Adding even more emotional intensity to the story is the fact that Harri's ex Kaij has been called back to town to investigate Mona's death. They split apart after Harri miscarried their daughter. Harri, at least, hasn't been able to move on and we get some hints that Kaij isn't as over the relationship as he would like Harri to believe.

The story is filled with twists and turns and all sorts of fantastical creatures from the ogres who are Harri's friends and who visit frequently to drink her beer and watch football on her big screen to the trolls who are hired by the villain to beat Harri up and get some evidence back. Sirens, elves, witches, and dragons also populate this world.

This story was fun to read. I enjoyed learning about Harri and hope she has more adventures. ( )

You won’t find any werewolves or vampires in this world set in Australia. What you do get are sirens, elves, ogres, trolls, dwarves, gargoyles, dark fae, gnomes, dragons, witches and I’m sure I’m forgetting some. None are considered monsters although some groups are better liked than others.

Harri—short for Harriet—is half siren and half elf. She works as a PI with her friend Ceri, a former cop and while trying to build their business Harri also works as a photographer.

Her dragon friend, Keale, slams into a helicopter killing the four onboard. Harri is a witness and captures everything on camera. He’s drunk out of his mind and shouldn’t have been capable of flying and too many things just don’t add up. She’s determined to get to the bottom of this to prevent her friend from spending years in prison. At the same time she’s approached by Lyle, her elven uncle and the only member of that side of the family willing to have anything to do with her. His siren girlfriend is missing and he hires Harri to find her.

This story is an investigative mystery with a number of twists. Non-sexual tension is provided with the presence of a former lover/cop who is back in town making things awkward for Harri. What makes this a fun read are the very eclectic group of friends Harri has, from all walks of life; some of whom take serious advantage of her, and yet we see why she doesn’t mind. Her elven family is something else and much of the drama comes from that side of the family.

Unlike her other books, the text has not been Americanized. At the front of the book we’re given a short list of some items or terms that are used differently. There are others that could have been included on that list, but it’s easy enough to figure those out. The book is self-published, so there are definite editing errors, although some of those are probably cultural speech differences.

Harri is smart, likeable, capable and loyal to her friends and family. There’s action, mystery and quite a bit of humor. This could easily be a series and I sincerely hope it becomes one. I found the story, especially the characters, to be quite enjoyable. ( )