This is the fourth of the Mercy Thompson books, and definitely has an air of a between stories story, though far better done than what I’ve been reading in the later Sookie Stackhouse books.
There were some rather serious events in the last book that Mercy is dealing with, including having killed one of the lieutenants of the local vampire queen, leaving her angry enough to have her minions paint a warning on Mercy’s door. It essentially means that she’s coming for Mercy, but will come for her friends first.
Coincidentally, an old friend from college gets in touch with a ghost problem, and Mercy takes the opportunity to get out of town. Unfortunately, that lands her in the hands of one of the other most powerful vampires in the state, and we’re off with more side stories.
This book really seemed to have two main stories going, and the links weren’t obvious, though I suspect they’re both leading up to something. Still, like I said, it’s far better than the later Sookie Stackhouse books, so I’m still interested in reading, to see what happens next.