Just finished this one on my Kindle.

Many of us here know Annetta from her blog, "susurration'. (Which is sadly not too active these days...) Or her blog Word Webbing. Some of us have read her short flash fiction. Perhaps some have even read her collection, Not Nice (and Other Understatement).

I personally wasn't sure how her style would translate to the novel-length work, but it translates quite well. Annetta tells a great story of a girl working at a hotel (sort of like reading her blog in the old days!) who has to deal with a locked-room mystery, one that threatens the existence of the hotel, and the staff's security. Her heroine, Pallas, takes it on herself (goaded on by her direct supervisor, Medusa) to solve this mystery and gets herself into some serious trouble along the way.

Pallas is a great heroine, and the story clips right along, at some point grabbing me and moving into "can't put it down" territory. I finished it a few minutes ago, and wanted to get my thoughts down before I start another book.

I really enjoyed it. If you're not into urban fantasy, your mileage may vary. But if the combination of mystery and fantasy appeals to you, this will be a very solid read, especially for a debut novel!

*****