Tess is a forensic cop (kinda) in a world populated by demons, vampires (who are demons) and mages (who are part demons). Her most recent case is a dead vampire with no signs of trauma and the address of a 13 yr old girl in his pocket. And the girl, Mia, reminds Tess very much of her childhood friend who died traumatically in a fire, giving Tess plenty of fuel to protect Mia and make sure she doesn't end up like the dead vampire.
Close to the end of the book the bad guy says to Tess, "You couldn't do your job right if your life depended on it...You screwed up paperwork, botched evidence, showed up late, clocked out early, got hopelessly confused on your way to the bathroom, and you couldn't even work the photocopier." I don't remember Tess trying to use a photocopier, but sadly the rest is true. Tess is a extremely weak character. She blatantly ignores protocol (despite other people warning her constantly), irritatingly complains about being too old and not powerful enough (she's 24), leaves crime scenes when she's supposed to be in charge, takes an underage suspect to her house after she's been banned from contact with the girl and almost gets her killed. Everyone, including Tess, gets wrapped up in science tech talk, which would be fine for a forensic novel, but the voice is exactly the same every time, which makes characters sound like parrots of each other. And instead of sciencing up the magic Battis mucks up the science, saying that magic (or materia) is really just dark matter and mages can manipulate it..magically.
While there are good ideas here, like Derrick, and the demons, and the very concept of the night children, it's lodged like a great meal between some very awkward, and at times down right annoying teeth. As a reader one can see why Tess hasn't advanced anywhere in life, and I had to wonder if Battis wasn't just writing the wrong thing, trying to hammer a more classic fantasy or horror novel into an urban fantasy shape. In short, there are better urban fantasy and paranormal procedurals out there for public and private collections.
Contains: violence, language, sexual content