River Marked by Patricia Briggs

I want to be friends with a Volkswagen mechanic, and that's probably a sign that I'm certifiable. I already have a host of amazing good friends, I don't drive a VW, and the mechanic in question lives out of state in a fictional world created by Patricia Briggs.

Mercy Thompson, the heroine of River Marked, is seriously cool. In addition to being a self-employed VW mechanic, she's an extremely loyal and resourceful friend. Then there's the part where she changes into a coyote at will, but unlike most were-animals from urban fantasy she wasn't "turned". She was born a skinwalker, her status attributed to her long-passed Blackfeet father. Her skinwalker status also means she changes quickly and effortlessly compared to the bigger, stronger werewolves in these stories. So, really, who wouldn't want to be friends with a loyal, resourceful mechanic who can protect you from all sorts of bad guys?

Perhaps the biggest question is what Mercy would get out of being friends with me other than my utter devotion to her series of books*. River Marked is the sixth book of this series, and it's an adventure that Mercy and her mate, Adam, take primarily on their own--without the usual cast of characters that surround them. Nice people are being lured into the water and disappearing, and it takes Mercy, Adam, and a full cast of First People to put the situation to rest.

It was lovely, for a change, to have Adam as a main character in the story instead of part of the subplots. It was also nice that Mercy learns about herself, her genesis, and her heritage. This story, more than the others, had plenty of Native American history and lore. The enemy vanquished is from that Native American lore instead from the vampires and fae that normally plague Mercy and, by extension, Adam's werewolf pack. So while I've loved all six books this one may be the most complete in addressing all aspects of Mercy's life.

Here's the link to Amazon's River Marked page.

*I've long thought that my contribution to any of the fictional friendships I would claim would need to be of the early-nerdy, pre-witchy Willow research-type contribution that served Buffy so well. Yes, yes. I know. Certifiable. I've spent way too much time thinking about this, but I read about the coolest, booty-kickingest fictional women, and I wouldn't be much of a fictional friend if I didn't contribute SOMETHING.