I'll Be Waiting

I'll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong, 324 pages

As someone who has been dealing with cystic fibrosis her whole life, Nicola never expected to outlive her husband, Anton. But after a car accident, that's just what happened, and Nicola is left reliving Anton's final moments on the side of the road, whispering "I'll be waiting for you." Several months later, Nic is still haunted with grief, and has turned to spirit mediums to try to reconnect with her late husband. In an attempt to cut her off from the unhealthy relationship with fakes and cons, her friends and family convince Nic to try one last time, with a very scientific seance before calling it quits. That's how she ends up at Anton's grandmother's lake home with an American scientist, her brother-in-law, and a new friend from a grief counseling group. However, there's something from Nic's past that keeps popping up and potentially interfering with their attempts to reach Anton...

It's rare to find a horror novel featuring a character with a terminal illness that doesn't immediately become the center of the story, and it's lovely to see Nic portrayed as much more than her illness (it's more of a character trait than a definition). I loved the way Nic and her friends and family approached the seances (with a bit of dry humor and skepticism, even as they took part in the rituals), as well as the mix of easily explained and unexplained phenomena in the book. It does go a bit off the rails toward the end of the book, though that's the case in a lot of horror novels. All in all, this one was pretty decent. (However, reader beware if you don't like bugs. Bleh!)

Demon

Demon, Volume 1 by Jason Shiga,  166 pages
Jimmy Yee finds out that he either is a demon or is possessed by a demon in a difficult way. After a botched armed robbery, he kills himself. When he awakes, unmarked from the killing, he kill himself again. It's only after several suicides that he realizes what must be happening. Soon government agents, who also realize who he must be, are after Jimmy as he jumps from body to body, leaving carnage in is wake.
Part of a multi-volume series. I look forward to seeing where this goes.

The Curse of the Pogo Stick

The Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill  256 pp.

Dr. Siri Paiboun, the 73 year old national coroner of Laos once again finds himself dealing with odd situations and people. While on his way back from a national conference with his boss, Judge Haeng, they are ambushed and Siri is taken prisoner by seven Hmong women. Siri, who is the "vessel" for the spirit of the dead shaman Yeh Ming is captured because the Hmong villagers want him to perform an exorcism. The chief's daughter is possessed by a demon and pregnant with the demon's child all because of the curse of the pogo stick kept on a sacred altar. Judge Haeng, who ran away from the ambush spends days wandering in the woods before being found by the villagers, bruised, dehydrated, and confused. Meanwhile, back at the morgue, Siri's assistant, Nurse Dtui and her husband, Police Officer Phosy, along with Siri's fiancee Madam Daeng, owner of the best noodle shop in town, are investigating a booby trapped body. The "Lizard," an elderly Royalist assassin, has targeted Dtui and Phosy for foiling plot to overthrow the communists detailed in the previous book Anarchy and Old Dogs. In the process, government auditors become the unintended victim when poisoned cashew cakes are delivered to the morgue. Morgue assistant Geung gives the cakes to the auditor because "Cashew cakes make me fart!" Of course, all ends well and Dr. Siri and Madam Daeng become husband and wife. While the plots in this series aren't anything special, Cotterill's characters make these stories fun and engaging.

Medusa's web

Medusa's web / Tim Powers, 358 p.

I love the way Tim Powers weaves the supernatural together with actual history in his books--I often end up wishing I could read his research notes when I finish one of his novels. Old Hollywood doesn't do much for me, though, so I just read this one for the twisty story. After their Aunt Amity's suicide, Scott and his sister Madeline return to Amity's old mansion, where they were raised along with their cousins Ariel and Claimayne. The cousins are both addicted to using spiders, symbols that allow the viewer to possess another's body in another time and possibly extend life, if the viewer can stay in the new body. Ariel is fighting to abstain from using spiders, but Claimayne's health is clearly failing (spider use exerts a price) and he's obviously plotting something. Scott has his own (more mundane) addiction to alcohol to fight, while trying to save Madeline from possession beyond the grave by Amity and dealing with his cousins' antagonism. Towards the end there are some amazing action sequences. I don't think this will bump Last Call from its spot as my favorite Tim Powers book, but I liked it a lot.