Spirit Dances

The eagerly awaited return of Joanne Walker starts off with a bang in Murphy's latest. Walker, who has started to embrace her shamanic powers, attends a dance performance with her boss Morrison. There's a great deal of attendant sexual tension and, during the performance, Walker is so caught up in the magic of the performers that she transforms into a coyote. If that isn't enough, in the middle of the performance, one of the dancers is magically attacked and killed. Walker begins the hunt for the killer, which leads her into situations she never expected%E2%80%94including accidentally transforming Morrison into a wolf and encountering a murderous werewolf. The adventure forces her to decide which path in life she wishes to fully embrace%E2%80%94cop or shaman. Readers will be thrilled to see Murphy's return to the Walker Papers, and they won't be disappointed. The author keeps the action fast-paced, Walker and Morrison's repartee is fantastic (even when he's a wolf), and the magic is exciting. If anything, it seems a little short, and readers will be left eager to see what happens next, both with Walker's shamanic career and her ever-evolving relationship with Morrison. (Apr.)