I loved it! It had a delicious, mysterious feel to it... and you know more will slowly be revealed as you go. As Tessa begins to realize that her mind has not been her own, and that her father was not who she thought he was, she starts to slowly reconnect with her aunt and grandmother, determined to do whatever it takes to take her family name to something positive and get rid of the poison that was her father. But she quickly learns that the poison runs far deeper than she knows, and that getting rid of evil isn't as easy as she thinks.

I loved the relationships growing between Tessa, her Aunt Ollie and her grandmother Gisele, a popular writer of steamy romances with legions of fans. The humour of her grandmother and her revelations, such as her "love nest", was a great juxtaposition to the dark family revelations and fast moving violence that has you on the edge of your seat. In the mix Crumley also addresses racism and other issues in a way that gets some lessons across to the protagonist without being preachy or heavy-handed. I've already bought books 2 and 3 and started the 2nd book immediately upon finishing this first one (and recommended it to my husband). Something different and highly recommended. ( )