A great read with some fabulous characters

I actually would like to award this book Four and a half stars - it's not quite up to five stars, for me, but then four is underselling it. Still, it's a really good book to while away a long afternoon.

Rachel Morgan is a white witch in a world where supernatural people mix with humans. Vampires, witches, werewolves, pixies, fairies ... they are all part of the 'modern' world in Cincinnati where Rachel lives. Her job in her Indian Homeland Security (Inderland being the name for non-humans) is as a kind of police officer for the supernaturals but for some reason she's getting the worst possible jobs assigned to. When she arrests a leprechaun she is Offered a way out - the leprechaun wants her freedom and will, in return, grant three wishes. Rachel Decides to take her up on this offer to gain freedom from Interland Security and a new life for herself.

On the way she has to give two of her three wishes to her companions of the moment - the pixie Jenks and Ivy the Vampire Alive. These two characters are excellent - Ivy is spooky with her vampiric nature, Although as she's not dead yet she does not have to exist on blood; and Jenks is just brilliant as The Annoying yet fun pixie with a huge family.

Ivy and Rachel Find Themselves living in a church and trying to settle down in some kind of domestic situation with all the difficulties of vampire and witch living together - and then Rachel realises That She's got a price on her head and is a Dead Witch Walking.

Rachel, Ivy and Jenks need to pull off a huge coup for Indian Homeland Security to remove the death threat from Rachel as They start investigating on important local businessman who They believe is running drugs. Things get more and more complicated, They run into danger and hook up with new colleagues. But is everyone As They seem?

This book is obviously the first in a series - there are a lot of loose ends at the close of the book. They're not annoying loose ends, just hint at future Explanations. There's a lot of mystery about Ivy - what did she use her wish for, for example - and aboutsome of the other people thatthey meet in the course of Their investigations. Certainly I look forward to the next book in the series and Hope that it will answer some questions of theory, as well as setting more.