Review: The Hour of Dust and Ashes by Kelly Gay

The Hour of Dust and Ashes (Charlie Madigan #3) by Kelly Gay

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Pocket; Original edition (August 30, 2011)

Goodreads Description:

To save her sister, she must stop a silent killer. . . .

Protecting Atlanta from the off-world criminals of Underground is tough enough, but now Detective Charlie Madigan and her siren partner, Hank, learn that the addicts of the offworld drug ash have begun taking their own lives. Ash makes humans the perfect vessels for possession, and something or someone is leading them to their deaths. Charlie is desperate to save her addicted sister, Bryn, from a similar fate. As New Year’s Eve approaches and time runs out, Charlie makes a deadly bargain with an ancient race of beings and embarks on a dangerous journey into hellish Charbydon with Hank and the Revenant Rex to save Bryn and make it back before it’s too late. Only, for one of them, coming home means facing a fate worse than death. . . .

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The Charlie Madigan series is urban fantasy at its best. The Hour of Dust and Ashes is book three in this series and is as action packed as the first two. Detective Charlie Madigan is in a race to save her sister's life and put a stop to an evil force. In order to do this Charlie has to face death in many ways.

At the detective's side is her siren partner, Hank. The chemistry between the two is off the charts, but what is really special between them is their loyalty to each other. They have each others backs, not just as part of their jobs as detectives but as friends. I like the pace that things are developing between them. The story isn't all about the romance (since this isn't a paranormal romance, it is an urban fantasy) and that sort of makes the romance that IS in it all the better. It isn't some insta-love, insta-fix, insta-perfect type of thing. It is developing more realistically...well, as realistically as things could be in Charlie's world. Hank's past is a bit of a mystery but the author delves into some of his background to set up the storyline for the next book. I love where the story is going and I can already tell there will be tons of action.

My favorite things about this book is the butt-kicking action, the sparks flying between Hank and Charlie, and Rex. Rex has become my favorite character now that he knows his past life as a jinn warrior. One moment he is fierce and the next he is acting like a goof. Definitely an entertaining guy. I really hope that he plays an even bigger part in the next book. It would be really cool as well to learn more about his life when he was a jinn.

This was an excellent read and the series continues to be one of my favorites. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there will be many more Charlie Madigan books to come. Not only are the characters amazing but the world and the changes to it are fascinating. If you love urban fantasy I highly recommend this series if you haven't started it yet.

5/5

I received a copy of this book for review. Any opinions expressed are my own.