Dead on the Delta

by Stacey Jay

Published by: Pocket/Simon & Schuster Publishing

My Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars 

Once upon a time, fairies were the stuff of bedtime stories and sweet dreams. Then came the mutations, and the dreams became nightmares. Mosquito-size fairies now indulge their taste for human blood—and for most humans, a fairy bite means insanity or death. Luckily, Annabelle Lee isn’t most humans. The hard-drinking, smart-mouthed, bicycle-riding redhead is immune to fairy venom, and able to do the dirty work most humans can’t. Including helping law enforcement— and Cane Cooper, the bayou’s sexiest detective—collect evidence when a body is discovered outside the fairy-proof barricades of her Louisiana town.

But Annabelle isn’t equipped to deal with the murder of a sixyear- old girl or a former lover-turned-FBI snob taking an interest in the case. Suddenly her already bumpy relationship with Cane turns even rockier, and even the most trust-worthy friends become suspects. Annabelle’s life is imploding: between relationship drama, a heartbreaking murder investigation, Breeze-crazed drug runners, and a few too many rum and Cokes, Annabelle is a woman on the run—from her past, toward her future, and into the arms of a darkness waiting just for her. . . .

My Review:

Readers, if you love Chess Putnam and the Downside Ghosts series by Stacia Kane, you HAVE to read Dead on the Delta. Stacey Jay has created a stellar, very unique urban fantasy world where miniature fairies are the evil supernatural beings. Dead on the Delta is a book where dystopian meets paranormal and the result is an excellent read that I highly recommend.

Annabelle Lee is a mess of a heroine. She drinks too much, she is unambitious, and she is terrified of opening up to people, especially to men like her boyfriend Cane. When a child is murdered and an illegal drug house is found, the FBI is called in to investigate, and possibly ruin Annabelle’s life. That’s tough enough, but it gets even worse for Annabelle when one of the FBI agents turns out to be her ex-boyfriend Hitch. Things didn’t end well with Hitch, and his reappearance in her life shakes her up and she makes even more mistakes. After a particularly harrowing experience with Hitch and some fairies, Annabelle starts experiencing odd physical changes, and the murder is not what is seems. Annabelle needs to get herself together enough to bring the murderer to justice, before justice gets her.

After reading Dead on the Delta, I am completely hooked on this series. Often times with urban fantasy worlds, the first book in a series can get monotonous or take awhile to get into while understanding the world. That is not the case with Dead on the Delta, the contaminated fairy thing is a bit odd and hard to explain (I won’t even try), but Stacey Jay manages to explain the world all while detailing her characters and the conflicts. There is humor, snark, action, and romance all jam-packed into a this book. Once I started reading, I didn’t put the book down until I finished. (Okay, I had to take a few minor breaks, but I finished the book in less than 1 day)

Annabelle has issues, she drinks way too much and has no drive to really take care of herself. She covers her hurts with snark and sarcasm. There are real issues that Annabelle experienced in her life to push her towards this lifestyle, and I just wanted her to confess all and become a better person. Annabelle is the type of character that you cheer for when she does better, and cry with her when she makes the bad decisions. There is a love triangle element in Dead in the Delta that is well done, it’s not an annoying triangle filled with angst. This triangle is one where past meets present.

There is very promising set-up for future books, and I can’t wait to get my hands on book 2, Blood on the Bayou. If you like dark urban fantasy with a side of snark, this book is for you.