STOLEN

Author: Kelley Armstrong ISBN: 0452285933 10/2004 PARANORMAL Publisher: PENGUIN PUTNAM (Plume)

International acclaim for Kelley Armstrong's sophisticated debut novel, BITTEN, is steadily growing. It was in Bitten that thirty-year-old Elena Michaels came to terms with her feral appetites and claimed the proud identity of a beautiful, successful woman—and the only living female werewolf. In STOLEN, on a mission for her own elite pack, she is lured into the net of ruthless Internet billionaire Tyrone Winsloe, who has funded a bogus scientific investigation of the "other races" and their supernatural powers. Kidnapped and studied in his underground lab deep in the Maine woods, these paranormals—witches, vampires, shamans, werewolves—are then released and hunted to the death in a real-world video game. But when Winsloe captures Elena, he meets his match.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

STOLEN, the follow up to BITTEN, by Kelley Armstrong, is an engrossing and unique read, but I suspect that BITTEN is better. Why? I think I find the concept of finding out you have been bitten by a werewolf man you love and dealing with the consequences thereafter, makes for a more interesting story. I will let you know that theory myself, after I hit the book store and find BITTEN.

Anyway, STOLEN makes me think of the government and Area 51. No doubt I have watched too many X-Files and have quite the overactive brain, but I can just imagine an underground compound filled with people claiming to have supernatural powers and the government "investigating" them. That's the premise here, except instead of the government experimenting on the freak shows in the world, it's a spoiled computer tycoon who likes to hunt them for sport.

This tycoon, Tyrone Winslow, has a team of scientists and doctors working on the unfortunate souls he captured for supposed medical research. My personal opinion is that research is just a cover for the perverted pleasure he finds in killing the supposed superior races. Our heroine, Elena, and her significant other wolf, Clay, turn out to be more than Tyrone bargains for.

I wanted Clay and Elena to have a bit more interaction, since they are definitely a couple (or mates), but this story is really about Elena as a strong heroine. She is undoubtably that, and as the only female werewolf, much more. I admire her actions and thoughts but mostly I admire her ability to admit her shortcomings. She admits when she is wrong and when she has screwed up, and it makes her all the more strong. She is the most capable and best heroine I have had the pleasure to read about lately. I look forward to her next adventure.

Shannon Johnson