The Grendel Affair

Shearin’s urban fantasy debut serves as both adventure on its own and enticement to follow the SPI series. The gift of second sight allowed Makenna Fraser to make the career jump from tabloid reporting to working for Supernatural Protection & Investigations, a covert organization dedicated to protecting humans from paranormal beings. Most cases are straightforward affairs, but a routine bag-and-tag for a Bavarian nachtgnome leads to a room full of scattered body parts. A series of brutal murders soon proves to be the prelude to a bloodbath planned for New Year’s Eve, a very public massacre that will force mundanes to notice the monsters around them. SPI itself is being targeted by an old enemy via a clever double agent. Shearin’s light, breezy style suits the simple plot; her naïve protagonist serves as both guide and expository catalyst. Although the justification for keeping mythological beings secret is never made clear, plenty of dismembered people and grand schemes will distract the reader from questioning the plot holes. (Jan.)