House of Cards (The Negotiator, Book 2)

by C.E. Murphy
House of Cards (The Negotiator, Book 2)
published
March 1st 2008 by Luna
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binding
Paperback, 416 pages

isbn
0373802633   (isbn13: 9780373802630)

description
A covenant broken. A hell unleashed... New York City's only legal counsel to the fabled Old Races, Margrit Knight is levelheaded in all matters extrao...more





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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 170)



Seth
Seth rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/23/08

bookshelves: modernfantasy
Read in March, 2008
This series is redeeming Murphy in my eyes. The main character--Margrit--is strong without being unrealistic, there aren't any over-dramatized villains, and the complications between the supernatural races are deep, serious, and multi-layered.

In this book, she's paying off favors to both the dragon/crime lord and the vampire/business mogul, who find their personal war turning from cold to hot. Two selkies throw the balance of power into disarray just by arriving and her gargoyle protector/fr...more
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Elizabeth
Elizabeth rated it: 1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars
03/23/08

bookshelves: 2008, fantasy, twenty-first-century
Read in March, 2008
I'm a lawyer, remember?

Remember how the doctor on Star Trek used to say, I’m a doctor, Jim, not a --, and he said it so often that it’s become a cultural joke long outlasting the performance? I think C.E. Murphy’s reminders that Margrit Knight, the main character of House of Cards is a lawyer will stay with me long after I have forgotten everything else about this book. Even when the character didn't say it herself, the narrator or another character reminde...more
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Angela
Angela rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/29/08

bookshelves: fantasy
Read in March, 2008
House of Cards, Book 2 of C.E. Murphy's Negotiator series, took me a bit to read. It has less overt action than Book 1 of this series, and a lot more emphasis on the politics between the various Old Races as well as the shifting relationships around the heroine, Margrit. It's not an easy book to read when you're not at the top of your game, since there's a lot to keep track of in here--and with me having the Martian Death Flu going on, I spent quite a bit of time going "wait, what?&q...more
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Theresa
Theresa rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/12/08

bookshelves: fiction-fantasy
Read in March, 2008
I felt this book was better than the first one, Heart of Stone, but it still wasn't a 5-star book. The first third of the book is very slow which is the same problem I had with the first book. This might have a lot to do with the author setting up the story and not all the players being involved, but it bordered on boring.

Once all the players get involved, however, the story picks up quite nicely. The dialogue is snappy and humourous at turns. Magrit, the main character, is more invol...more
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Rachel
Rachel rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
03/22/08

bookshelves: fiction, supernatural
Read in March, 2008
Wow -- with this book, Murphy's books go from fun to good. More than just a fun excursion into Margrit's world, Murphy is gaining a good sense of timing and descriptive ability, and is handling increasingly complex plots.

In this book, Margrit finds herself in the middle of a dispute between Janx (the crimelord) and Daisani (the businessman) that seems to be hinging on some action by the selkies. Rather than play things from the sidelines again, she jumps in with both feet and and lands (as...more
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Jean
Jean rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
07/10/08

bookshelves: urban-fantasy
Read in July, 2008
recommended to Jean by: the author's previous books
Like many books while you don't need to read the first book to understand or follow what's going on in this one, this one doesn't stand alone as well as it stands as a 'book two'.

The pacing is slow, even dragging at some points, and for awhile I thought the book would never come to an end. But then every time I got to a point I was going to put the book down something truly interesting would happen and I'd keep going. At about the halfway point things really begin to pick up.

One thing ...more
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Holly
Holly rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
09/17/08

bookshelves: paranormal-fiction, urban-fantasy
Read in September, 2008
Better than the first book in the series which read more like a simple romance, Murphy fleshes out the world and gives us a lot of information about the Old Races in this book. Margrit is explored much more deeply, and she grows as a character because of it. There is a lot of payoff in this book from things that were set up or hinted at in the first book. I'm eager to read the third in the series now!
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Lori
Lori rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
03/26/08

bookshelves: urban-fantasy
Read in March, 2008
A solid addition to the Negotiator series. Margrit gets pulled deeper and deeper into the world of the "Other Races," which include gargoyles, vampires, dragons, selkies and djins. Now that she knows about them, and is a strong woman (and a great lawyer) she winds up being the one to help work out differences between the races, and hopefully not get herself or anyone she loves killed.
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Jane
Jane rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/14/08

bookshelves: fantasy, urban-fantasy
Read in March, 2008
This is the second in what is supposed to be a trilogy (I think) and for a middle book it is very well done. Often the middle book will sag a little because it is neither the set-up nor the denouement (think The Two Towers). But enough changed in this one or progressed to make it well worthwhile.
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Heather
Heather rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
04/10/08

Little disappointed with this book. It was pretty good until the end. Honestly, I gave up on this book and didn't bother to finish it. I found myself confused by what was happening in the end scene. The author needs to explain things a little better.
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Deirdre
Deirdre rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
06/24/08

Read in June, 2008
Another excellent book by C.E. Murphy. She has captured the essence of old races living amongst humans and has a stellar heroine in Margrit.

I cannot wait for the next installment of this series.

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Holly
Holly rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/29/08

bookshelves: fantasy, supernatural-critters
Read in June, 2008
Why is this series so much better than the Urban Shaman series?

Very sexy. Though, I'm a little irritated about how every single man on the planet is attracted to the main character.
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Amberkatze
Amberkatze rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
07/16/08

Loving this series and I can't wait for the 3rd part!

http://www.amberkatze-amberkat...
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Summer
Summer rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
05/26/08

Read in May, 2008
Somehow this one took a little while longer to get rolling for me. Enjoyed it nonetheless. :)
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Mary
Mary rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
03/28/08

Read in March, 2008
Excellent continuation of the gargoyle series...very good
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Dawn
Dawn marked it as to-read
01/15/08

bookshelves: to-read
Looking forward to this new series
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Morgan
Morgan rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
09/05/08

it was ok not one o the bests
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Emily
Emily rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/25/08

bookshelves: fantasy
better than the first one!
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Heather
Heather marked it as to-read
10/10/08

bookshelves: to-read

Ruby
Ruby rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
10/05/08



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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 3.90 (101 ratings)
number of reviews: 18







other editions