Roadkill by R. Thurman

RThurman-RoadkillAfter reading Rob Thurman’s The Grimrose Path and feeling indifferent about it (my review here), I was hesitant to read Roadkill, but I really shouldn’t have been because I fell for Cal Leandros hard and fast.

It’s time to lock, load, and hit the road…

Once, while half-human Cal Leandros and his brother Niko were working on a case, an ancient gypsy queen gave them a good old-fashioned backstabbing. Now, just as their P.I. business hits a slow patch, the old crone shows up with a job.

She wants them to find a stolen coffin that contains a blight that makes the Black Death seem like a fond memory. But the thief has already left town, so the Leandros brothers are going on the road. And if they’re very, very lucky, there might even be a return trip…

Being the fifth book in the series, and the first one I read, there was admittedly a lot that I didn’t know regarding Cal Leandros. Luckily there wasn’t too much from the previous novels that needed to be known to understand (and enjoy) Roadkill. However, if you are new to this series like I was, I would suggest you start with the first book, Nightlife. For that same reason, I can’t compare Roadkill to the rest of the series, but I can say that the plot was energetic and fast paced. It was filled with lots of fighting, kick-ass characters and a unique (at least to me) adventure.

Like I said before, I fell hard for Cal. I don’t know if it was his odd sense of humor (nearly identical to my own), his pale skin that does not sparkle (any pale man who doesn’t sparkle is a real man in my book) or his belief that cheetos are the perfect food in the entire world despite his brother’s hatred of the “orange puffy chemical”) (parallel to my love and my mother’s hatred) that pushed me over the edge, but let me say it again, I love Cal Leandros.

There were other amazing characters besides Cal in Roadkill. One such character was Niko, Cal’s older brother, who was pure human but could still easily kick Cal’s half-demon butt without getting winded. Plus, there’s Catcher (named after The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger), who is a werewolf stuck as a wolf. Several of the chapters were from his point of view, instead of Cal’s, which made Roadkill more interesting. Of course there were other characters, all unique and strong in their own ways, but these were the two that really struck me (but obviously, not as much as Cal struck me).

Now, please excuse me while I go read the other five books in his series.

Read Order:
Nightlife
Moonshine
Madhouse
Deathwish
Roadkill
Blackout

About Casey 203 Articles
Casey is the founder of Heart Full of Ink, Director at Reading Until Dawn Con, and a full time cheese addict. She's been ranting and reviewing for Literary Escapism since 2010, and is part of the trio #3Bloggers1Series podcast. When she's not reading, looking for new books, or stalking authors online (waiting for more books), she can be found binge watching Netflix. But really, her life is all about DEM BOOKS!