Back for another dose of whatever life and the afterlife wish to send her way, this engaging second installment finds reluctant immortal Calliope Reaper-Jones receiving a visit from Madame Papillon, an aura specialist hired by Callie’s father to teach her how to better use some of her powers. At the meeting with the older woman and her pet minx, a magical creature, Callie learns that something is “off” with her aura, which may likely be attributed to her coalescing with Daniel, the Devil’s protégé, in the previous book. Madame Papillon declares that in order to remedy the situation, Callie needs to retrieve Daniel’s death record from Purgatory, as it seems he is still alive.

After arriving at Sea Verge, her family estate, to ask for help from Jarvis, her father’s assistant, Callie learns that she has a more pressing problem to see to before she makes the trip to Purgatory: she has been summoned to Hell by Cerberus, the hellhound guarding the north gate. Afraid that the hound plans to call in the favor she owes him, as well as wishing to take back his daughter, Runt, the young hellhound that Callie and her sister Clio have become quite attached to, Callie knows she needs to visit Hell first. Once there, Cerberus tells Callie he requires the death record of a particular ancient Egyptian for “processing,” or she will not only have to return Runt, but also will serve as Guardian of the North Gate in his stead. In a race against time to meet Cerberus’ demands and find out the truth about Daniel, our heroine has her work cut out for her.

In Death’s Daughter, Callie’s often ridiculous antics fit the scenario due to her having been unaware of her immortality because of a forgetting spell, and then having a huge responsibility thrust upon her with no experience with which to handle it. In this excellent second installment, Benson wisely scales back the silly factor without sacrificing any of the unique humor that defines both her writing style and Callie’s personality. Aware now of the underlying seriousness that comes with immortality, Callie thinks a bit before she speaks, and does not jump into situations without thinking them through. The forethought and reflection she exhibits results in both Callie making better choices as well as a smoother narrative.

Entertaining characters and realistic relationships add depth, readability, and suspense to a story that in many ways resembles a buddy road-trip tale where the stakes are often impossibly high. In situations where only she is in danger, not those she cares about, Callie and her author demonstrate their distinctive humor. After being knocked out, Callie thinks, “A shot of raw, white-hot pain ran up my spinal column and into my brain, making me decide that if I needed to move my head again, I was going to hire someone else to do it for me” (250). The addition of more sophisticated mystery elements this time out raises Cat’s Claw to a level a notch above its predecessor, and ensures that this reviewer will be waiting for the release of book three.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ace; Original edition (February 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441018432
• ISBN-13: 978-0441018437

To purchase a print copy of Cat’s Claw from Amazon click here.

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To purchase an eBook copy of Cat’s Claw from OmniLit click here.

Books in the Calliope Reaper-Jones series in the order they should be read:
Death’s Daughter
Cat’s Claw

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