STREET MAGIC by Caitlin Kittredge

Her name is Pete Caldecott. She was just sixteen when she met Jack Winter, a gorgeous, larger-than-life mage who thrilled her with his witchcraft. Then a spirit Jack summoned killed him before Pete's eyes - or so she thought. Now a detective , Pete is investigating the case of a young girl kidnapped from the streets of London. A tipster's chilling prediction has led police directly to the child.but when Pete meets the informant, she's shocked to learn he is none other than Jack.

Strung out on heroin, Jack a shadow of his former self. But he's able to tell Pete exactly where Bridget's kidnappers are hiding: in the supernatural shadow-world of the fey. Even though she's spent years disavowing the supernatural, Pete follows Jack into the invisible fey underworld, where she hopes to discover the truth about what happened to Bridget - and what happened to Jack on that dark day so long ago.

Firstly, isn't the cover of this book awesome? I think it captures the shadowy world Pete and Jack live in, perfectly!

It's been twelve years since Pete Caldecott saw Jack Winter. That's because he died, and she ran. Left to mourn his death but always haunted by his memory.

Well, she thought Jack was dead, until he turns out to be a valuable informant on the case she's working on at the moment. Pete's all grown up now, and is a detective who's recently escaped a bad relationship, suffered through the loss of her father several years before, and is estranged from her older sister. Her latest case thrusts her into a strange and dark world that borders ours, and only Jack can help her with his strange and wondrous power. But Jack is just a shadow of himself, constantly strung out on drugs because he can't handle what he can sense and see...

Wow. This was quite an amazing book! It was dark, gritty, and very edgy. It didn't shy away from the horrible things in life, and blended them well into a supernatural part of London filled with wicked creatures.

I loved both Pete and Jack. Pete, because she's strong and so determined to solve the case of the missing children, while trying to save Jack from himself. And Jack, because he's such a tormented man with the weight of the world on his skinny shoulders.

Yeah, I've enjoyed my first visit into Black London... and think I'll continue on my way into the second. :)         

H&UFRC books read: 39/24

Posted in: excellent book , reading 2011 , reading challenge , urban fantasy