Reading a new book by Laura Anne Gilman

I started "Tricks of The Trade" by laura anne gilman,

It's the third in a series by Gilman. The unique thing about this series is that it takes place in the same city, and time as a previous series.  The Wren(Or is it Wen Yicks I should know) or Retriever series. Bonnie, the MC of the current series, was a very minor character in the first one.  I'm surprised that Wren hasn't shown up in this one yet they live in the same building after all. Gilman says that Wen is suppose to guest in the next book.

I partly credit the Retriever-therefore Gilman- series for this explosion of Urban Fantasy. I have said that Butcher is the King of UF and Gilman is the Queen. But I modified that a bit. One Rachael Craine (?) might be the true Queen since her Storm Warden series was first. But Gilman must be a close second.

I would have to reread the first series again to be sure but I believe the second series is written differently. At least in the first book, my impression was that it was written for YA while the first series was written for adults.

I like Wren better than this series but this one isn't at all bad. This series is also more of a mystery style while the first one is more adventure so that might be the difference I am sensing.

If you like mysteries with magic and some personal emotional turmoil mixed in then you will like the second series. Yes, they use magic to solve cases but it's a tool like anything any mundane detective would use. There is danger even though not as much as usual for fiction books these days. Again that could be because of the mystery style.

I would recommend both series even though you can decide which one to read first or if you are adventurous read both at the same time.  There are now three and soon will be four in the second and somewhere around eight to ten in the first- which is all there will be for the time being.

Having read the first series I know some of the things that will be coming up, in fact I'm surprised there aren't more signs of those things yet. The cover of Trade though looks like a certain event in the first one but that event didn't happen 'till later in the first series so I don't expect it to be the same event.