Three Days to Dead

Slain supernatural bounty hunter Evangeline Stone is mysteriously brought back to life in the suicide-scarred body of Chalice Frost in the thrilling opening pages of Meding's urban fantasy debut. Evy's fellow hunters, thinking her a traitor, drive her relentlessly through a gritty urban landscape populated by a diverse collection of gargoyles, trolls, gnomes and other strange creatures as she tries to unravel the reasons for her original death, unlikely resurrection and fugitive status. With her would-be lover, Wyatt, and Chalice's close friend Alex as her only remaining allies, doomed to die again in just three days, Evy is forced to seek assistance among her former informants and enemies. Evy is a distinctive heroine, but explosive action scenes don't compensate for the muddled mystery, and an unwieldy cast dilutes the impact of her original approach and promising setting. (Dec.)