Every Which Way But Dead (The Hollows, Book 3)

Average Rating: 4.5 Stars
by Kim Harrison

List Price: $7.99
Store Price: from $3.72
More Details...

Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Eos
ISBN: 006057299X

Product Description

Rachel Morgan's back! Bestselling author Kim Harrison returns with a new supernatural adventure that fans of Laurell K. Hamilton and Charlaine Harris won't want to miss.

Some days, you just can't win. Witch and former bounty hunter Rachel Morgan's managed to escape her corrupt company, survive living with a vampire, start her own runner service, and face down a vampire master.

But her vampire roommate Ivy is off the wagon, her human boyfriend Nick is out of town indefinitely and doesn't sound like he's coming back while the far-too-seductive vampire Kisten is looking way too tempting, and there's a turf war erupting in Cincinnati's underworld.

And there's a greater evil still. To put the vampire master behind bars and save her family, Rachel made a desperate bargain and now there's hell to pay—literally. For if Rachel cannot stop him, the archdemon Algaliarept will pull her into the sorcerous ever-after to forfeit her soul as his slave. Forever.

Customer Reviews

The Hollows, Book 3
5 Stars
This is the third installment of the Hollows series and a very strong addition to the storyline of Rachel Morgan, Witch and Independent Runner. If you have enjoyed the first two books than this is a must read.

The plot is more complex than I can easily go into in a brief review but I feel that this book serves more as a way to continue the development of the myriad characters that Kim Harrison has put into Rachel's world rather than one specific plotline that we get to follow from beginning to end. Instead, we are given quite a few smaller plots that weave together nicely through out the book.

The story meanders a bit for many of its pages, until Rachel really gets down to business with a new power player in town by the name of Saladin. He seems to be in conflict with everyone, including Trent Kalamack and Kisten, who is still posing as Piscary's Scion. Even Big Al, the demon who wants to drag Rachel into the ever after appears to be involved with this mysterious new threat.

Of course there is plenty of other very intriguing subplots, including Rachel's ever more complex love life, relationships with her closest friends, and her worst enemies.

Kim Harrison does a good job of keeping everything in check here. While the story had the potential to run off the rails with as much as was going on, she pulls things together nicely while still giving the reader plenty to look forward to in future volumes with the addition of some new characters like Ceri and in particular, Newt.

I have enjoyed the maturation of Rachel throughout the first three books of the series. I am sure her character will continue to grow stronger although I hope she never loses the touch of vulnerability that makes her so much fun to read about.
~ Patrick S. Dorazio, Cincinnati, Ohio
More Details...

weakest outing in a good series
3 Stars
Set in a modern world just a little bit different from our own, a world in which witches, vampires, werewolves and other supernatural beings live side by side with `normal' humans. Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan is a modern, single witch living in Cincinnati. She is a `runner' which means part detective, part bounty hunter, part all round mouthy, pain in the butt to the forces of authority and stuffed shirts.

Rachel's room mates and business partners include Ivy, a vampire and Jenx, a pixie with 54 children. Between them they take on some of the best and worst problems in the Cincinnati underworld.

The 3rd book in the series is probably the weakest of the lot. The general plot is that Rachel is trying to escape form the demonic deal she made at the end of the last book while in her more professional and social life deal with the fact she has been dumped by her last boyfriend, the ex of her room mate is making not unwanted moves on her and e from the outside is trying to muscle in on both the holdings of Trent Kalamack the criminal god father of Cincinnati and the holdings of the master vampire of Cincinnati. That no one thinks to have these two forces join up to face down the invader is some of the shuttered vision that can be frustrating in the series.

This is a good, fun book IF you have read the earlier books. Usually Harrison's books are strong enough to stand alone but this one is more of a place holder. Read alone it seems like it is very muddled, read as part of the series you realize Harrison is clearing the deck a little. Resolving some hanging threads from books 1 and 2 and setting up threads for the rest of the series. There is also a problem in that the same villains, Kalamack and the demon "Al" are showing up again for the 3rd book in a row. It can lead to an exasperated `doesn't she deal with anyone else?'

In the long run this is a good book if read as part of the series, but if you're not familiar with the world of Rachel Morgan, don't start here.




~ Graves, Pennsylvania
More Details...

Whooee! Now we're talking!
5 Stars
They say that one learns from their mistakes. Perhaps true for some people, but maybe not so for others. Rachel Morgan belongs to the latter category. While she isn't without charms - indeed, there are many things to like about her - her biggest weakness is her impulsiveness. This trait has landed her in many troubles that after months since quitting her job with Inderland Security, she is practically a dead witch walking barely escaping unscathed from one attack after another. Oh Rachel, when will you learn that the easiest route is not usually the best?

After nailing Cincinnati's master vampire Piscary, Rachel finds herself being hunted down by the demon Algaliarept, who is both freaky and comical at the same time. I had such fun reading Rachel battle it out with this demon, each one trying to outsmart the other to get what they want. Both are worthy adversary and it becomes a game of cat and mouse as Rachel does her utmost to survive and keep her soul at the same time. As if dealing with `Big Al' weren't enough. Her friend and business partner Ivy is becoming more vocal about her desire to take their relationship to the next level, a mysterious Were is tailing her every move, Jenks is in a major snit over some trust issue, and it looks like a case of `out with the old and in with the new' in the romance area. Frankly, I have never trusted the `old' so bring in the `new' beautifully wrapped in tight leather. Whooee!! I love Kisten!

The first book was fun, the second was delightful but the third was a real charm. EVERY WHICH WAY BUT DEAD is a stunning urban fantasy, filled with fast-paced action, suspense and never ending mystery. Kim Harrison continues to tantalize as we learn more about Rachel's past and the truth about her father's relationship with Trent's father. I am now fully absorbed in the complex world that Harrison has built. Her otherworldly creatures have just gotten more fascinating and look to continue to do so as this series continues.
~ Michelle888, Australia
More Details...

A compelling third volume of the series...
4 Stars
I think I have fallen in love with Harrison's Hollows books. The characters are so colorful and real, and they have good depth and energy. And nothing has changed in this, her third book of the series.

It was a little slow and not much happened. It seemed that this one developed the plot for a future book and the series, but didn't really go too much in to a heavy plot for itself. I enjoyed the story none the less. We finally got to see Ivy in action, although not that much and it was brief at that, so I was happy. The Elves begin to play a larger role, and we meet another Were, which is developed some. All this adds depth to the world she is creating, expanding on Demons, Witches, Weres, Elves, Pixies and Vampires in order to expand the world and books/plots that she is creating.

It was a little funny though. You read the cover and it says "Great sex..." and you think, huh? Because in the book itself, 500 pages long, there is only one sex scene and it is only roughly 10 pages long. So there isn't much going in that direction, but it seems they are trying to bring in the romance readers, since the quote was from a romance writer.

That being said, I loved this book, though not as action packed as the first two, but great none the less. I would recommend.

4.5 stars.
~ Brian Hawkinson, San Jose, CA
More Details...

Great Rachel Morgan book
5 Stars
In this book, Rachel made a deal with a demon to testify in court as a witness. Now it's time to collect that debt. Big Al wants her to be his familiar. She tricks him at the last moment, which keeps her safe for a little while and gets his old familiar, a 1000 year old elf.

If that isn't enough trouble, Rachel has the hots for a vampire that Ivy has a lot of history with that makes home life a lot more difficult.

The whole plot has so many different directions. You are definitely kept wrapped up in the story waiting for the next plot twist.

I recommend this to anyone that likes the Jim Butcher series. This is a must read.
~ Jessica, Reno, NV
More Details...

Navigation