Hard Magic

I suppose it must be obvious to anyone who reads my reviews that I enjoy Laura Anne Gilman's writing. I've only read every one of her Retrievers series as well as every one of her short stories sold via Fictionwise (including some that I'd already read in various anthologies, but I didn't want to miss anything). I've been waiting anxiously for Hard Magic, the first in the new Paranormal Scene Investigations series, and it did not disappoint me in the least.If you've read the Retrievers books, you'll recognize the main character, Bonnie Torres, immediately as Wren Valere's neighbor. If you haven't read that series, don't worry - they aren't required to enjoy this book. I do, however, recommend hunting down the short story “Illumination,” which is referred to several times during the novel. It's in the anthology [b:Unusual Suspects: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy 3395318 Unusual Suspects Stories of Mystery & Fantasy Dana Stabenow http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1243223215s/3395318.jpg 3435306]. It isn't strictly required, but I think it would help.If you've ever enjoyed CSI or any similar show, I think you'll really enjoy Hard Magic even more than others will. Bonnie and her coworkers are trying to reinvent all of the forensic science that those shows take for granted from scratch, from a magical perspective. It's fascinating to me, and I would have been happier with more geeking.I'm really looking forward to book two!