Short Take: “Ghost Stalking,” Michael Todd, Michael Anderle

Pros: Gets intense!
Cons: …
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Michael Todd and Michael Anderle’s novella Ghost Stalking: Soldiers of Fame and Fortune, Book 8 is book eight in the series Soldiers of Fame and Fortune Full Series Omnibus: 12 Book series. In the last volume, Billie headed off some dangerous creatures in the Zoo, leading them away from Holly and her team. Now we get to see where she went and what she did next. After getting the goo sacks for Holly, she’s assigned a mission by her employer: to assassinate a reporter who seems to be an undercover spy. For the first time she finds herself starting to question the motives of her employer. Meanwhile, Holly needs to test the serum she’s come up with before actually trying it on J.B. She has a chat with Salinger, of Heavy Metal, who also reminds her of the ethical decisions she’s going to have to make as soon as she’s finished the serum. Keep it and try to decide who lives and who dies? Sell it to a corporation? Make it public? Keep it under wraps? So many things to think about!

Now that things are coming to a head, this volume is more intense than the previous ones. When I hit the end of it I couldn’t wait to start book nine. If you’ve been enjoying the series so far, this is definitely a high point!

Billie is every bit as much a protagonist as Holly is at this point. She has super-spy training and capabilities, but in putting that part of her life aside to help save J.B.’s life, and getting to be friends with Holly, she’s starting to look beyond “the life” to what else she might want to do. It’s intriguing, and I’m looking forward to seeing where that goes. Also, Holly is still spending time in the Zoo. While I really enjoyed the earlier books where she sat and listened to stories of others’ work in the Zoo, this is much more personal and gripping.

Holly’s team could still use a little more depth, but hopefully that’ll emerge over time. At least we’ve gotten a few tidbits of personality to hang their identities on. Next, book nine of twelve!