Blood Heir – Ilona Andrews

This is a spin-off of the Kate Daniels series. It will appeal to readers who enjoyed that series and would like to visit again. (It is probably not a good jumping-on book for readers who have not read the KD series. They’ll understand the plot, but lack of background and context will rob it of much of its impact.)

Julie Olsen, KD’s adopted daughter, is back in town. In keeping with the genre’s requirements, she is now beautiful, adept with weapons and magic, and several inches taller. (Yes, really.) The McGuffin is a murder which is tied to a missing artifact. Mostly, investigating the murder leads Julie - now Aurelia - to meet (or re-meet) the main cast members of the new series. Including - see genre requirements - her old flame, who appears to have acquired enough super powers to keep up.

“We would have been back by morning. And all of us could swim. The boat was sinking very slowly, so there was no reason to panic.” (Fifteen-year-old explaining why grown-ups should stop giving her and her friends a hard time.)