Review: The Little Crow by Caitlin Ricci

Title: The Little Crow (Heart of Darkness #1)
Publisher: Afternoon Delight Publishing
Length: 92 pages

Grade: B-


BLURB

Detective Jamison Landry knew his job was never going to be easy. He’s dealt with the worst criminals imaginable and believes in his work and the community he serves. But he’s never met someone like Mal before. The mysterious man keeps him guessing, both confuses and excites him and Jamison isn’t sure how he feels about him.

Things turn from unusual to downright strange when people start insisting Mal isn’t quite human. And Jamison’s creepy dreams of crows and graveyards don’t make things any better for him. Will Mal stay around long enough for Jamison to figure out his secrets or will this stranger leave him wanting more?


MY REVIEW


Detective Jamison Landry is on what he thinks is a routine drug-bust when he's confronted with a man whose been kidnapped by what looks to be a bunch of crazy cultists. After rescuing the man, Jamison tries to help the victim. But, Mal is exotic, unpredictable and sometimes scary. Some people, including other cops think Mal's a demon; however, Jamison just thinks he's a pain. When his boss orders him to let Mal move in with him, Jamison knows he's in trouble. He's attracted to Mal, but the other man is evasive about his background. And when weird things start to happen in Mal's vicinity, he begins to wonder if his co-workers might be on to something.

The Little Crow starts off with a creepy and unsettling tone which does not let up through the entire novella. I compare it to an episode of Supernatural (first or second season, ya know, when the show was still good. *g*) I was really intrigued by Mal, I couldn't decide if he was an actual demon or just some strange guy. I also liked Jamison, who despite his cop instincts lets Mal get under his skin, ignoring all sorts of red flags that might otherwise have made him suspicious.

The only reason I did not grade The Little Crow higher was the ending was extremely abrupt and didn't make much sense in the context of the rest of the plot. But, I did find out from a blurb at the end of the novella, that this is just the first part of an ongoing series. So, in light of that, I could see why the ending was so sudden. Overall, I think was an interesting start to what I hope is a creepy, eerie love story between Jamison and Mal.

Recommend for readers who like a little twist in their paranormal book.