Madhouse (Cal Leandros, Book 3)
Product Type: Book
Product Price: $7.99
Manufacturer: Roc
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Description
Half-human Cal Leandros and his brother, Niko, aren-t exactly prospering with their preternatural detective agency. Who could have guessed that business could dry up in New York City, where vampires, trolls, and other creepy crawlies are all over the place?
But now there-s a new arrival in the Big Apple. A malevolent evil with ancient powers is picking off humans like sheep, dead-set on making history with an orgy of blood and murder. And for Cal and Niko, this is one paycheck they-re going to have to earn.
Reviews
Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-06-26
Summary: "4.5 stars. Moonlight and madness, and a helluva lot of fun."
Madhouse is the third installment in the Cal Leandros series. If you haven't met the Leandros brothers yet, stop reading HERE and first read books no. 1 (Nightlife (Cal Leandros, Book 1)) and no. 2 (Moonshine (Cal Leandros, Book 2)).
So. What happens in "Madhouse"? (great title; read the book to find out why. I love Rob Thurman's one-word titles).
In short, and trying to avoid spoilers, there are two main plotlines running here:
--> Sawney Beane, the legendary head of a 48-member clan in 15th- or 16th-century Scotland, reportedly executed for the mass murder and cannibalization of over 1,000 people (as quoted from Wikipedia!), is raised to life from ashes at the New York Metropolitan Museum. The Leandros brothers are hired to find his ass (and kill it thoroughly and inventively, of course).
--> A great second plotline involves an unknown attacker making repeated assassination attempts on Robin Goodfellow's life. The brothers try to find out who ('cause a guilt-ridden Robin refuses to tell them) while struggling to keep Robin alive.
...There's also a subplot involving Cal's love life...er...sex life?
...And keep in mind the Auphe are back!
I loved the book. The Cal Leandros series is character-driven, and I enjoyed reuniting with half-brothers Cal and Niko and with my favorite trickster, the horny puck Robin Goodfellow. As in previous books, I loved the narrator's (Cal's) dark-snarky voice. And the author made me laugh. Repeatedly. In a very good way :)
I deducted half-a-star because there were some plot solutions/resolutions I found less believable, and some motivations weren't good enough for me to justify certain actions. BUT. In spite of my nitpicking, It's a great third book. If you liked the first two books in the series, go get it!
Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-01-27
Summary: "I won't spoil it for you but...."
There is a scene near the end of this book that just had me WTF-ing in pleased horror junkie amazement. I LOVE this author and will continue to buy her books as soon as they hit the street. Awesome stuff. I also really dug the fact that you can look up many of the references and see that they are based on actual places and mythology -adds more depth and spice to what is already a super-fun journey.
Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-09-17
Summary: "This series just keeps getting better..."
I adore the whole Cal and Nik Leandros series, but I have to admit this is my current favorite. The bad guy is truly evil and creepy/gross and has few chinks in his armour. I couldn't wait to find out how they'd defeat him because he was so tough. The new friends from the Art Museum are fabulous too.
Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-05-25
Summary: "Amazing"
The Cal Leandros series just keeps getting better and better. If you have not read any of the series I highly recomend you get them all.I personaly dont think you will feel to lost if you read this one first. The author, Rob, does an amazing job at recaping what has happened in the last books. So start reading, and when you are done, go back to the beginning of the series.
Its got an entirely new world of mythology. The story centers around this two brothers and their friends. I love the way the author focuses on family and friendship while of course heading the charachters in a world of non stop action, drama, angst, and some good fun and loving. It has everything you could ask for.
Does of you fans of supernatural. I can guarantee you will LOVE THIS BOOK.
Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2009-04-01
Summary: "Ruined the Series for Me"
Possible spoilers. Be advised.
I really wanted to love this series. The first two were good, but Madhouse ruined that all.
Cal's handling of his relationship with George was horrible. So bad in fact that I'm no longer a Cal fan. In my opinion, Cal should have had a little more faith and trust in the one female that loved him unconditionally.
I will not buy another book in this series. If/when a new one is released, I'll wait to read reviews online before thinking of a purchase.
I need to find another series fast to get the bad taste of this one out.
