Spy-Fi?

I'm in the middle of the Jennifer Rardin's upcoming title, Bitten to Death, fourth in the Jaz Parks series. It appears that Rardin's series has now been dubbed Spy-Fi. I can't believe that I didn't come up with it first! When I try to tell people about this series, the best I can do (because it is a bit different from other urban fantasy/paranormal mystery series) is to say that this is what would have happened if Buffy and her fellow scoobies had grown up and gone to work for the CIA, a la Alias.

The books do need to be read in sequence, so here's some info about Rardin's debut title, Once Bitten Twice Shy.

On her last assignment as a Helsinger – a team of elite CIA agents charged with killing vampires – Jasmine Parks lost her fiancé, her sister-in-law, and her best friend in one fell swoop. Now, she suffers from frequent blackouts and has managed to disconnect herself emotionally from almost everyone around her. She’s also discovered that she can sense vampires.

Vayle, one of the Company’s most respected and important operatives has requested that Jaz be assigned as his partner, and the Company willingly agrees. Part of his request is due to her new-found talent as a Sensitive, another is due to the fact that she has a death wish that makes her a reckless but effective agent. The two have been sent to spy on a well-known plastic surgeon who is suspected of having terrorist links. While on assignment, they discover that Vayle, or possibly even Jaz, has been targeted. By whom, they aren’t quite sure, but this person – or vampire – is quite possibly one of their very own.

I love that Jaz is quirky, smart, and kick-ass all rolled into one. She's also a very sensitive character, something that comes through even more in subsequent books. And Vayl, the smoldering Romanian vamp is certainly an absorbing character whose own story is unfolding slightly more with each book. I'll have to let you discover the rest of the crew on your own because the group grows with each book and I don't want to give anything away.

The thing that makes this series so different for me is the fact that it is essentially a paranormal spy series. Jaz and crew all work for the CIA and are always being sent out on super secret CIA missions. They have cool gadgets and disguises that would make even James Bond jealous, too! Plus, they're up against creatures of the likes I've never seen before. Again, I wouldn't want to give anything away, so you'll have to just trust me, it's a damn cool series!

I'll be reviewing Bitten to Death this weekend for the bookbitch. You can also find reviews for books 2 and 3 (Another One Bites the Dust and Biting the Bullet) there as well. I'm going to finish my book now, and then sit in eager anticipation until number 5 comes out in January!