It seems lately that I have read nothing but pretty bad books and that’s not true. Devon Monk has given us the gift of Ordinary, Oregon and the mortals, gods, and paranormals who live and vacation there.
I’ve read Monk’s Allie Beckstrom series and the Terric and Shame duology and enjoyed both but Ordinary was so much more fun.
It’s time for the annual Rhubarb Rally and police chief Delaney Reed and her sisters (and sister officers) have their hands full with the influx of tourists. And Delaney is still trying to figure out what or if she should do about the return of Ryder Bailey who she has crushed on since grade school. Then her ex-boyfriend returns unannounced, Death decides to vacation in Ordinary, and a god is murdered.
A god can die in Ordinary but his power doesn’t. The power is held inside one mortal, Delaney, and she has seven days to find the person the power will accept. Failure means death- for her and the town of Ordinary.
This was a fast romp with exploding rhubarb, perambulating caped concrete penguins, and baked goods.
I liked the relationship between the sisters, the feeling that Delaney is still learning the position she inherited from her late father, the way she loses all rational thought when Ryder walks into view.
If I had one complaint it would be the finding-the-new-god part, even I had that figured out chapters before Delaney. It lacked subtlety.
But the dialogue, it was wonderful.
“”Rhubarb exploded,” I said, answering his first question.
“You don’t often see that in the heritage strains,” he said.”
“The door to the office opened and Jean sauntered in with a gust of cool air. “Guess who got her box filled with free hot donuts this morning?”
“Please tell me that’s not a euphemism,” Myra drawled.”
“”And I am a man of my word.”
“Do those words include ‘breaking’ and ‘entering’?”
…
“”I know those words,” he admitted. “But only one of them might be on the agenda tonight.””
Book two is due out in July and I can’t wait to go back to Ordinary and see what happens next.
38 Caliber Reviews 