I think I liked this one more than the first one. Nice to see this particular world/setting/universe/whatever-you-want-to-call-it get explored a bit more. ( )

This was given to me in April 2013 by someone from Tor books. It's the second in a series, and has been sitting on my shelf, with a bookmark at Chapter 18 (p 162). I have the feeling I'd like it more had I read the first book in the series. As it is, I was a little left out as the story evolved, and I somehow have found excuses not to pick it back up. There's stuff I like, but I don't know the back-story, and wish I did.

How often is a science fiction book set in South Dakota I wonder? In fact, there probably aren't all that many books set in South Dakota at all but surely science fiction would have a very small representation of that number. That's what intrigued me about this book. I've visited South Dakota quite a bit and I really like it. This book is set in the western part of the state which is quite different looking from the eastern side. The Missouri River is the dividing line between farmland and prairie. The difference is immediately apparent when you cross the river. Coates does a good job of evoking the wide open feel of western South Dakota.

Hallie Michaels is temporarily helping her dad with the ranch work while she decides what to do with her life now that she has left the army. She was shot by a sniper in Afghanistan and was technically dead. Ever since she was revived she can see ghosts. She can also see the black dogs that are circling around her neighbour's house even though the neighbour's son can't. The black dogs are harbingers of death and a reaper i.e. a spirit who causes someone to die is sure to follow them. The dogs and the reaper can't get at the neighbour as long as she stays within the circle of iron that is buried around the house. That's not the only thing going on in the neighbourhood. Hallie's friend, Boyd, is also being haunted by the ghost of the man who caused his wife's death 7 years ago. For some reason Hallie is also of interest to this ghost.

There are frequent mentions of events that occurred a few months previously so this is obviously the second in a series but I don't think it was necessary to read the first book to get what is happening in this one. At least I had never read it and I believe I got the gist. I don't think I will look for the first one or look for any other books by this author. I thought the ending was too pat and, although this is billed as science fiction, it is not my style of sf. It is an intriguing book though and I'm sure some people will enjoy it. ( )

I don't use star ratings, so please read my review!

(Description nicked from B&N.com.)

“Now that she's solved her sister's murder, Hallie Michaels has left the army and isn't sure what to do next. Her relationship with deputy Boyd Davies is tentative, there's still distance between her and her father, and she needs a job. The good news is, she hasn't seen a ghost in weeks.

All that changes when she gets a call asking her to help an elderly neighbor who is being stalked by black dogs, creatures from the underworld that are harbingers of death. When a black dog appears, Hallie learns, a reaper is sure to follow. And if the dark visions she's suddenly receiving are any indication, it looks like the reaper is now following her.

Meanwhile, strange events herald the arrival of ghosts from Boyd's past, ghosts the young deputy isn't ready to face. Refusing Hallie's help, Boyd takes off to deal with the problem on his own, only to find that he's facing something much larger and more frightening than he'd imagined.

Stalked by a reaper and plagued by dark visions, Hallie finds she must face her fears and travel into Death's own realm to save those she most loves.”

With the main framework of the story set up in the first novel of this series, Coates is now free to explore it a bit more. She starts to investigate the limits—or lack thereof—on what supernatural forces can do in our world. It also becomes apparent that Hallie isn’t the only person in town who’s tuned in to the other world. The author really sets up the feeling that there’s something pervasively otherworldly about this town, beyond the radical supernatural events that have cropped up.

What I found most interesting about this book is that, unlike the first novel’s straightforward ghost story, this one goes for a sense of eeriness. The things that happen are rooted in plausibility: the premonition that leaving your house will result in your death; an accident that no-one saw and can’t explain; the person you see out of the corner of your eye that you would swear is a person who died years ago. Of course, the book takes it to weirder extremes than that, but there’s an air of reality to these events that you can’t deny.

I have to give a shout-out to a great minor character, the black dog that follows Hallie around. He’s another supernatural critter hanging around in our world, but there’s something strangely charming about him. He stays with Hallie because he finds her interesting, and he talks in statements that are often quite cryptic. Honestly, he reminds me of a cat in a dog’s body, because he has that same attitude of being amused at us silly humans that your average feline is wont to exhibit. I think he makes a great companion for someone who can see ghosts.

I actually like the minor characters in this book better than Hallie and Boyd. Hallie still sometimes comes across as too abrasive and stubborn to really be likeable, and Boyd for some reason felt overly standoffish. Perhaps it’s because the first book set up their romance and it doesn’t feel like that ever really came together, and we’re left with two people circling each other like suspicious soldiers unsure if the other person is going to pull a gun. I suppose this makes sense, given that Hallie is a veteran and Boyd is a cop, but in terms of a relationship, I don’t think we really got to see them working well together.

Taken by themselves, the main characters work well within the storyline, and since Boyd is away for a good chunk of the novel, their lack of chemistry didn’t bother me too much. This is a story that stands on the strength of its atmosphere and worldbuilding anyway, so I can definitely enjoy it on that level.

Deep Down is a book that doesn’t need monsters and gore to scare you. The creepy setting and eerie events will probably have you looking over your shoulder for overly friendly black dogs. Deborah Coates has crafted some quality supernatural fantasy, and I highly recommend her books to anybody searching for an unusual ghost story.

This review originally appeared on Owlcat Mountain on June 28, 2013.
http://www.owlcatmountain.com/deep-down/

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
allthingsuf.com

From the moment I laid eyes on DEEP DOWN‘s gorgeous cover, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. In WIDE OPEN, I fell in love with Hallie. There is a particular quality to Deborah Coates’s writing that immerses me in her characters. The spare, concise narrative is so clearly seen through Hallie’s eyes, so simply stated with her voice, that even though I have little in common with this self-contained character I come away feeling like I know her on a meaningful level. This connection with Hallie became all the more important as her world writhes and changes.

Ghosts, magic, and monsters all permeate this story, sometimes to a ridiculous degree. Though this book is supposedly a “closed world”, where the supernatural isn’t acknowledged or believed in, Hallie and her companions have no trouble brushing past the issue of concealing magical events from unsuspecting “civilians”. Addressing characters’ doubts (or lack there of) is definitely not central to this story. I don’t mind this oversight, though, as DEEP DOWN explores the origins of Hallie’s powers as well as the rippling repercussions of past events. Coates’s common-sense day to day style makes Hallie feel so real.

Fans of Charlaine Harris will definitely enjoy how Coates mixes the esoteric and everyday. DEEP DOWN prompted me to induct Hallie into my personal Sisterhood of Practical Badasses (of which Sookie Stackhouse and Harper Connelly are founding members), as Hallie grocery shops with a harbinger of death riding shotgun and barters grazing rights for interviews with the dead. This series has gained speed from book one to book two, as DEEP DOWN evens out some of the pacing and believability issues I had with WIDE OPEN. This has my anticipation ratcheted all the way up, I can’t wait to see hints of book three.

Sexual Content: Kissing, references to sex. ( )