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Labyrinth (Greywalker #5)

by Kat Richardson (Goodreads Author)

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 1,545 ratings · 114 reviews

The toughest case yet for Greywalker Harper Blaine, "a great heroine" (#1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris).

Harper Blaine was your average small-time P. I. until she died-for two minutes. Now she's a Greywalker, walking the line between the living world and the paranormal realm. There are others who know about her new powers-others with powerful tools a...more

Hardcover, 368 pages

Published August 3rd 2010 by Roc Hardcover

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Sep 20, 2010 Rebekah (Silver Lily) James rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Aug 14, 2012 Sheila rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, scifi-fantasy

Kat Richardson’s Labyrinth may not be the end of Harper Blaine’s story, but it has all the tension and urgency of an ending, together with the sense of satisfied completeness at story’s close. Threads meandering through previous books come together, and the author does a great job of reiterating the important without alienating readers. It’s been a while since I read the previous volume, Vanished, and I was concerned I might not remember enough—vital scenes from the story drifting back out of me...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Kathy Davie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, urban

Fifth in the Greywalker urban-fantasy series and revolving around Harper Blaine, a private investigator who walks between worlds.

My Take
I can't help it. I just love this series. Richardson has created such a unique culture in Greywalker with its vampires such a very minor part of it.

Instead, Richardson uses the magic of a world between ours and Other to build her scenarios and torture with tension...for she's shown us that she is not averse to killing off important characters. Nor does she ho...more

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Sep 21, 2011 Kater Cheek rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'd heard of this series, and when I had the chance to buy a used copy at the library (cheap books! supporting the library!) I picked it up, glad that I'd have the chance to explore more urban fantasy. Since I write Urban Fantasy, I'm very picky about others' novels. I've picked up and discarded many more books than I'd read, so the fact that I read this to the end was a point in its favor.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first in the series, and I haven't read the first ones, so I think my appreci...more I'd heard of this series, and when I had the chance to buy a used copy at the library (cheap books! supporting the library!) I picked it up, glad that I'd have the chance to explore more urban fantasy. Since I write Urban Fantasy, I'm very picky about others' novels. I've picked up and discarded many more books than I'd read, so the fact that I read this to the end was a point in its favor.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first in the series, and I haven't read the first ones, so I think my appreciation of that was occluded by my lack of background knowledge. Had I known it was the fifth in a series, well, let's be honest, I probably would have bought it anyway (sucker for cheap used books), but your enjoyment might be improved if you start a little earlier.

Harper Blaine is the hard boiled protagonist, an investigator who has the abilities of a "Graywalker" because she came close to death more than once. Her late father, whose ghost appears as a character in this novel, also had similar powers, but he was driven to suicide by the madness they induced. Harper is made of sterner stuff, and moreover, she has a slough of resourceful, competent, loyal friends to help her out with whatever she needs, up until the final battle, which of course Harper must do alone. In short, she's a solid heroine.

There isn't a lot of character building in this. Or, perhaps there is, but I missed it becuase I wasn't around to read the first four novels, so I don't know what she was like before. Harper doesn't seem to do much introspection. She worries a little bit about who is going to die, adn if she can save anyone, but she doesn't dwell on that. She doesn't seem to change much, except that she gets more magical powers than she had to begin with. Mostly, she just carries on with a sense of duty to the cause of justice and willingness to defend teh defenseless that you'd wish we saw more often in our public figures.

Many of the other characters felt slightly two-dimensional to me. Quentin should have been great. He's got a cool tinkerer/steampunk engineer/mad scientist feel to him, but because his only motive seems to be "help Harper," he seemed more of an extra than a supporting man. Ditto for her other friends. They're nice, but they're so nice that they seem more of a convenience to Harper than real people with seperate motives. I'll grant that this lack of depth could be because I wasn't around to see their development in the first few novels.

The setting is an alternate reality of Seattle, but it's not much like the Seattle I used to live in. I couldn't recognize anything, even places I've been before, like Pioneer square. Richardson did a better job of describing Leavenworth, which I haven't been to but was able to picture slightly better. In other scenes, like in the orchard, the topography completely lost me, and my lack of grounding pulled me out of the story.

Which brings me to my main complaint about the novel. Almost all of the action takes place within the Grey, the netherworld between the living and the dead where the magic is created. It was such a cool idea that I wish I'd thought of it first. I loved the idea of people being "greyblind" as opposed to "colorblind." Some of the scenes, especially the magical scenes, seemed as though they'd be strikingly beautiful if they were done in film. A book, alas, is not film, and on more than one occasion, the descriptions of the power flows, ley lines, wards, magic, and the surreal imagery that Richardson used to describe the Grey overwhelmed me. I simply had to stop paying attention and just skim over. This is a problem because I eneded up skimming so many passages that I lost valuable information. In one scene, she's interacting with a necromancer named Carlos. She spent so much time describing his wards and magic-y things that when there was a scene change, I found myself asking, "Wait, how did they get to the basement?" and I had to go back and re-read passages.

In this regard, the novel reminded me of Tom Clancy novel I read years ago, I forget which one. There were some of his novels (one could argue, most) which spent so much time on technical details and TLAs (TLA=Three Letter Acronym) that you lost the plot and characters. I understand greywalking about as much as I understand naval military procedure, so both novels made me kind of glaze over and want to skip passages. People who are already in the know might like the depth of detail, but I wanted more of the kind of plot I could understand, namely, that involving people.

I liked her vampires, and I thought Richardson's worldbuilding was both solid and creative. Harper Blaine is a likeable person, heroic and just troubled enough that you feel for her. If you're rabid about these stories, you'll probably find this solid. Objectively, however, it's too light on the setting, too light on the characters, and too heavy on the abstract magical descriptions for my taste.(less)

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Dec 29, 2010 Karissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the fifth book is the Greywalker series by Richardson. Last I heard she was contracted for six books in this series. This book was a great addition to the series. I enjoyed how it tied up a lot of the loose threads presented in the previous novels.

In this book Harper returns to Seattle to find things a mess. Edward's been kidnapped, the serpent-like vampires are taking over the city and their leader Wygan has something horrible planned for Harper, if only she knew what. So all she has to...more This is the fifth book is the Greywalker series by Richardson. Last I heard she was contracted for six books in this series. This book was a great addition to the series. I enjoyed how it tied up a lot of the loose threads presented in the previous novels.

In this book Harper returns to Seattle to find things a mess. Edward's been kidnapped, the serpent-like vampires are taking over the city and their leader Wygan has something horrible planned for Harper, if only she knew what. So all she has to do is rescue her dad's ghost from Wygan, avoid getting killed (again), and figure out what Wygan's big plan is. Easy right? Luckily she has Quinton to back her up and will also get some help from the Danzigers.

To be honest I liked the last book "Vanished" a bit better than this one; that one had more action and just plain old more interesting things going on. But, this book does an excellent job of tying up all the weird random stuff that has been going on throughout the series. Quinton is in the story a lot more and I enjoyed that; him and Harper have such a nice normal relationship despite all the weird stuff going on around them. Carlos also joins the story again and it was nice to learn a bit more history about him, he is a really interesting character. Cameron also makes a reappearance and in a big way.

Not a ton more world-building is done, but we do get to see Harper learn how to do new very awesome things with the Grey, so that is a lot of fun. As I said there isn't as much action in this book as in previous ones, there is a lot of planning. Richardson usually focuses on an area of research for each book and that wasn't as apparent in this book. The research that is presented deals more with the Egyptian vampires than anything else.

Many things are wrapped up in this story and, given the somewhat cliffhanger ending, I am kind of wondering what will happen to the story after this book. It seems like most things are resolved and given that there was only one more book on the contract for Richardson I am wondering if book six is going to just be a wrap-up book or if she has had more books added to her contract and we will see the start of another huge storyline with Harper.

Overall a great addition to the series and a must read for fans of this series. Does a great job of tying up lots of little loose ends. Not as much action or interesting research as in previous books, but still a fun read all the same. I look forward to finding out what Richardson does in the next book.(less)

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Sep 12, 2010 Catherine Thompson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Maybe I shouldn't rate & review this book so soon after finishing it (I finished it less than two hours ago), but... wow.

Harper's back from London with new information about Wygan, the vampires in general, and her father. Edward Kammerling is still missing, and while Harper doesn't know where he is, she knows why he was taken. She has to make a deal with the devil she knows in order to stop a much greater evil.

I don't want to use the word "explosive" in relation to this book, but it's kind o...more

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Dec 15, 2012 Yvonne Boag rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: supernatural

Harper has escaped London with her life and not much more. On her first morning in Seattle she is visited by her old friend Solis from the police force. It turns out the guy who tried to kill her so many years before was found dead. Harper has an airtight alibi but Solis still thinks she is behind a lot of the madness that has beset Seattle. With Carlos and his goon squad after her, she and Quinton (and Chaos) go on the run. Harper has to find out just what she is capable of before Carlos turns...more

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Sep 25, 2010 Spuddie rated it 4 of 5 stars

#5 Harper Blaine paranormal mystery set in and around Seattle and magical environs. Harper is learning more about herself, her connection to the shadowy world of the Grey--that in-between place where mythical and magical and ghostly beings reside--and also about her father, his death and his role in her current state as a Greywalker.

Returning from London and barely having time to drop her suitcase, Harper is chucked into a state of high alarm with Edward, the head vampire in the city having bee...more

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May 05, 2012 Topher rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: modernfantasy

One of the problems that I have with being a Reader (or, as an author referred to someone who reads as much as me recently, a "power reader") is that it can be many many books between one book and the next in a series. If I'm caught up in a series, given typical publication schedules of 1 book/series/year, it may easily be over 100 books, even with my current reduced reading rate.

Sometimes I have a little trouble remembering what happened before, particularly if a series is in a genre I'm readin...more

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Mar 13, 2012 ***Dave Hill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: text

The Harper Blaine tale returns to Seattle, which is a plus -- even if Harper spends most of it on the run. The various plot lines (both plots and plots) from the previous volume come to a climax here, and a variety of characters who've popped up in previous Greywalker tales take a new turn on stage.

As a big finish -- and an existential conflict for Harper -- this feels like it should have been more engaging. But too much of the story takes place in the Grey, and while Richardson does a vivid job...more

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May 14, 2013 Jen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-books

I enjoyed this, as I did the previous Greywalker novels. However, it did take me a while to read it - I just didn't seem to be getting into it the way I usually do. Possibly because the events of this book depend heavily on the events of the previous one, which I read too long ago to remember clearly. I found myself struggling to remember who some of the characters were, or why they acted in the way they did.

The plot moves along quickly, with never a moment to spare. It was even, possibly, too f...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Viccy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

Harper Blaine died for two minutes. Ever since then, she has been a Greywalker, able to move into and out of the world of magic, traversing the fine line between reality and the paranormal. Harper has discovered she is the linchpin of a plan created centuries ago by the Pharaohn-ankh-aster, an ancient serpent god, god-king to the asetem who thrive on emotion and turmoil, as vampires thrive on human blood. Wygan, now living in Seattle is the Pharaohn and he wants Harper to serve as a bridge betwe...more

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Oct 23, 2010 Hali Sowle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective, vampires, greywalker

Another solid entry in the Greywalker series. Harper is back from London and things in Seattle are exponentially worse than when she left. The head of the Seattle vampires - Edward - is missing and it seems that his unsavory security chief is the one responsible, Carlos - the one vampire who knows and maybe understands Harpers greywalking "talent" is in hiding and Harper may have to work closely with him to restore some semblance of normalcy to the city. Wygan (the Pharoen) who is behind all of...more

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Dec 24, 2011 Talk Supe Blogspot rated it 4 of 5 stars

talksupe.blogspot.com

I've finally figured out why some readers find Kat Richardson a challenge to read. Though her descriptions are vivid her style is more narrative than a discourse. She demands your attention by making you chew her words slowly. If you tried reading the Greywalker Series and decided that it's not for you, I am asking you kindly to reconsider. You might have tried to speed read and sad to say it doesn't work like that. You have to take your time and imbibe Harper Blaine's story...more

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Jan 22, 2011 Marian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, readit

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 12, 2010 Melora rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I still like the heroine a lot, but this book was not my favorite. She spins some excruciatingly boring, Anne-Rice-like prose about the similarities between labyrinths and keys.

And as in the past few books in this series, the romance between her and the hastily chosen, incompletely developed boyfriend character, is even more unbelievable and almost unnecessary except as a plot device. (Why she would use this character as an alternate narrator for a couple of chapters simply mystifies me. Adding...more

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Aug 15, 2010 Poppy Fields rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, action-packed, met-the-author, own, signed, mbtb

This is a terrific book and picks up immediatly following Vanished, Greywalker #4. It is a riveting page turner that has Harper Blaine fighting to free her father's trapped spirit, while rescuing the kidnapped Edward, and preventing Wygan from completing his diabolical plan that threatens all of humanity. This is complicated by her greywalking abilities transforming her into something she doesn't recognize and voices from the grey babbling constantly in her head. Quinton and the Danziger's are t...more

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Nov 28, 2011 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's a toss up between this one and the last one...Vanished I believe (without looking)...over which is the darker one. If this keeps up it's certainly going to be interesting to see where Harper ends up. I just hope Ms. Richardson is careful and doesn't make Harper out to be some incredibly powerful person/creature all at once. The appeal of these books so far has been whether or not a character was going to make it through and in what state. I applaud Ms. Richardson for being willing to push h...more

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May 19, 2011 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library

This is the fifth book in the Greywalker series, and in it Harper prepares to battle her arch nemesis, the worm man.[return][return]The Greywalker series is based on the interesting premise that there is a world parallel to ours; this world is called the Grey, and it is populated by ghosts and other supernatural creatures. The Grey is layered with slices of time, in which old buildings exist and ghosts act out parts of their previous lives. Most people cannot see the Grey, though some people can...more

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May 16, 2011 Emily rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-sf

I was really anticipating enjoying this book. I liked the book before it and this one was supposed to be the culmination of a lot of plot threads. We were supposed to get some answers. And we sort of did. My spoiler-ific breakdown of how this broke down:

I'm really glad the author didn't invoke some tired device, like claiming her big bad was actually King Tut or Cleopatra as a vampire. Thank you for that. However, she instead created a new type of monster--a type of vampire--that just wasn't wor...more

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Dec 21, 2011 Julie H. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, paranormal-fiction, urban-fantasy

The Greywalker series just keeps getting better and better. I've enjoyed them all so far, but this is the first time that I've truly felt that the people who know, love, and/or are loved by Harper Blaine are truly in peril. And I must say that I thoroughly appreciated this constant ache of awareness.

The image of the labyrinth for both Harper's metaphorical ongoing journey and the literal one she must successfuly find and negotiate if she is to thwart Wygan's plan, release her father's spirit, a...more

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Jul 27, 2010 Tori smexys_sidekick rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-for-smexybooks, arc

3.5 Stars

Favorite Quote: "In the dispassionate influence of the grid, compassion-perhaps humanity-had died in me. Only the job remained:Paladin of the Dead, Hands of the Guardian."

Harper Blaine is a Greywalker. Having spent time in London, Harper has gained new powers. Before she can figure them out though,
she arrives home to find her employer is missing and the man who killed her has himself been murdered. Harper needs to find her murderer's ghost for she believes he holds the clues to finding...more

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Oct 05, 2010 Larissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

{Previously Published on my blog: Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life"
Rating: 2 & 1/2 stars!

*Contains minor spoilers if you haven’t read the previous books.

Labyrinth starts off right where Vanished let off. Harper is back from the whole mess that happened in London to find that things haven’t been peaceful at all at home.

The Vampire Leader of the city is missing, his assistant has gone to his rival’s Wygan’s side, Harper’s dad’s ghost is in captivity and her life along with everything she love...more

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Dec 10, 2010 Krissie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

" 'Well, yes. If the world's going to end, I'd prefer to go out with a bang.' He grinned and winked at me.
"I sputtered. Something about his stupid jokes always disarms me. 'All right, Roger Rabbit,' I said, finishing my drink.
" 'Roger Rabbit?'
" 'Yes. Don't you remember why Jessica said she loved him?'
" 'Um . . . no.'
" 'Because he made her laugh.'
" 'So this is why statuesque beauties fall for geeks. Hm . . . I'll take it.'
"I stuck out my tongue...." (pg. 169)

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Sep 25, 2010 aaron rated it 4 of 5 stars

the fifth greywalker book finds harper in the midst of some weird changes...whether or not for the good, that she doesn't know. she and quinton (along with some help from mara and ben) attempt to find a way to finally defeat the evil vampire, wygan. this book finds harper starting to go a little mad as her powers are awakening in ways that she doesn't understand and has no idea how to control. by the end she must find some unlikely allies in order to defeat wygan. another good read in the series...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Jenevieve rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The 5th book in the Greywalker series. Wygan's plans are coming to a head soon. Harper is almost shaped the way he needs her to complete what was set into motions centuries before she was born. Harper wants to stop him but the Grey is pulling her more deeply into it's fold and she's no longer sure if the next time she goes in if she'll be able to get back out.

This was an incredibly intense book. It really is the culmination of the story arcs from the last 4 all pulled together and resolved. I en...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Kimba (Caffeinated Book Reviewer) rated it 5 of 5 stars

In this fifth installment of The Greywalker series we find our spunk protagonist PI Harper Blaine, returning to Seattle to find the city turned upside down. Edward is missing and the local police think they have a gang war on their hands. Harper, Quinton and the nightwalkers know otherwise. A powerful god wants control of the Grey and Harper is the key to his plan. Harper, her friends and sidekick Quinton must find Harper's Dads ghost, stop god-king of the asteme Pharaohn-ankh-astet and protect...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kat-richardson, mystery, sci-fi-magic, paranormal

Okay this was such a great followup to Vanished. So fast paced, and on the edge of your seat I had a hard time putting it down and frequently looked up in shock that I was already at my bus stop and had to get off (almost missed a couple of times!)This story truely captured my imagination and I can't wait to jump into the next novel! Such a strong female character, such clear explanations of the paranormal that leave you wanting more. I love how Kat Richardson writes, its snarky and smart at the...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Kent rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed this story, which was for the most part fast paced and intense. It tied most threads from the previous books together and answered many questions from previous books. I felt like the investigation in this book was somewhat disjunct and illogical at times. I found some of the jumps of logic too big. I did, however, enjoy the book overall and plan to read the next installment soon.

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Dec 11, 2011 Meredith rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: a-fathers-love, audio, detective, drama, dying-and-death, fantasy, fiction, intrigue, mystery, romance, series, science-fiction

The scope, depth, and tension of the series has definitely increased. Definitely tighter and more engaging.

However, what keeps me from moving up to four stars is that there are huge chunks of exposition. When I was at the Y on the treadmill, for 40 minutes of the audiobook it was a conversation at a kitchen table between for people as they worked to sort out the who, what, why. While realistic, it's excessive when listening, my mind wandering. And it wasn't the only scene where there was long c...more

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Labyrinth (Greywalker #5)

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