Even though I hadn't read the previous books in this series, I was easily able to jump into this and understand what it was all about. I started reading it yesterday, and finished up today. It is the type of book that you start off by jumping right into it. Some books are meant to be read leisurely; this book has action right from the get-go and you hurriedly turn the pages to find out what is going to happen next. I was a bit surprised that I became so engrossed in this book, as this isn't typically the genre that I find myself reading. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I hope to find the other books and read them, as well as the ones that will follow this one. As I mentioned earlier, I don't think that you necessarily have to read the other books in order to appreciate this one, but I'm sure it does help to have some background information on the characters first. Overall, I found this very pleasant to read and enjoyed the various climaxes throughout the book. ( )