Second Skin

by Caitlin Kittredge

When werewolves from Nocturne City's oldest packs start showing up shot through the head execution-style, police officer Luna Wilder must find out what's killing them and why before she becomes the next victim.Luna traces the killings to a band of shapeshifters made of smoke and shadow who drink the blood of their victims for strength. Believed to exist only in legend, their race is all too real and now their leader, Lucas Kennuka, is out to wrest...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031294831X
• ISBN13: 9780312948313
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Second Skin

Once again Ms Kittridge has grabbed me and pulled me into her Nocturne City world. Luna is now SWAT so she can go home to Dmitri each end of shift, but she is drawn back into the world of homocide when four Weres are killed execution style, each from a different founding-fathers family. Whether she is interviewing Pack leaders or ducking from the hateful gaze of the homocide Captain, Luna continues to peck at the mystery finding yet another 'other' that lives in close proximity to Nocturne City. And will Dmitri survive being a submissive in the Redback Pack? Will Luna find a way to get the demon thing out of him? AND above all will their love carry them closer or pull them apart for all time?

Great Read

Luna Wilder is a police officer with the Swat team in Nocturne City. She was a detective in the previous books, but due to aggression and prior events, Luna is now with Swat. She witnesses a suicide in the beginning and is later contacted by her old colleague in the homicide division to consult regarding the murder of four weres. Soon, she is struggling to survive against a wendigo(s), solve the case, and get a handle on her out of control love life. I liked this book a lot. I was a little "iffy" with the first book, but becoming more intrigued by the second. Finally, in this installment, Luna appears to be coming into her own. Her character has grown exponentially over the last three books. She is now more controlled and determined. I like that she has grown stronger, learned from her mistakes, and is smart. The plot is consistent and the story is good. I have to say that I do not care for her choice in men. Dmitri seems to be the one she loves, but I have a difficult time liking him. He comes from a world that Luna chose not to be a part of. She did not want to be a doormat dominated by the world of the were community and I like that she does not. Dmitri, although he is no longer with a pack, still has that mentality. I have never liked the dominance side of the community described and approve that Luna does not either. She stands on her own two feet and seems to come to a resolution about Dmitri in the end. Their relationship seems to border on domestic violence and I cannot see Luna staying with that no matter what Dmitri gave up for her or is infected with. I hope that Luna will find a better man and Dmitri will eventually go away. His character does and says a few things that I find disturbing and he attempts to coerce Luna more than once. However, I have come to like a lot of what Ms. Kittredge has written and things have a way of working out to a be a fun and enjoyable read. I can't wait for the next one!

Second Skin

This was a great installment. Luna and Dmitri are shacking up and driving each other insane! He's a strong Alpha male with pack-mentality and an alien demon bite and she's a strong alpha female with insoli-mentality (insoli aka lone-wolf) and together they make a deadly, dysfunctional couple. It doesn't help that Luna sees the demon inside Dmitri slowly but surely killing off his were, which is what makes him Dmitri, but instead the demon is turning him into a stranger. It also doesn't help that Luna is a workaholic with a bad attitude and an addiction to trouble. Luna has transferred from homicide detective to SWAT. Instead of taking advantage of being in SWAT and using it as a positive outlet for her aggression; she's pulled back into being a detective on the down-low. It seems Bryson, a detective from her old precinct, is on a case that is way over his head. Four werewolves in Nocturne City have turned up murdered execution style. He's asked Luna, the only were on the force, to speak to the pack leaders on his behalf. Her investigation leads her to the Wendigos pack's leader Lucus. Wendigos are shapeshifters who have cannibalistic tendencies for survival. When in human form they appear deceptively gentle and civil, until they transform and shed their human skin to an almost indestructible form. Nocturne City is not big enough for both the weres and wendigos. An old treaty put enforce decades ago, prevents wendigos from stepping on were property and visa versa. Luna being an Insoli, is not bound to abide by this treaty. Insolis are thought of as gutter-trash by pack weres and wendigos hate weres of any kind. Luna has to navigate between both the weres and wendigos and figure out who is picking off weres one by one and why are some wendigos going rogue and fixating on Lucas. This was a great book full of twist and turns. Lots of humor, action and suspense. My only hope is that Luna tamps down on her reckless behavior and grows up a bit. I highly recommend this book and the rest of the series. Can't wait for the next installment Wifch Craft, due out 9/1/09. I also recommend: Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, Book 3) Ravenous: The Dark Forgotten Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson, Book 4) Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane) Nightwalker (Dark Days, Book 1)

excellent police procedural fantasy

Although Nocturne City werewolf police officer Luna Wilder has been transferred to SWAT to allegedly better use her aggressive behavior, her former partner in homicide Detective David Bryson pleads with her to assist him on a weird case. He is investigating the execution style deaths of four weres from the oldest most powerful packs. Luna quickly finds a link to the legendary Wendigo shapeshifters who drink the blood of their victims. Neither she nor the coroner is prepared for the four dead were to reanimate into something deadlier. Luna survives their assault, but knows her unknown adversary is becoming increasingly powerful and soon will be invincible; what she also does not know is that their leader Lucas has special plans for her. The latest Nocturne City police procedural fantasy (see NIGHT LIFE and PURE BLOOD) is an exciting homicide investigation in which the legend proves lethally real. The brass still thinks Luna is a lunatic with her obstinate independence, but also knows she gets results. However, this time failure may prove even worse than death as Lucas has chosen Luna for a chosen role in his Wendigo pack. Fans will relish this action-packed thriller from the opening execution to the final graveyard visit. Harriet Klausner

Enjoyable Read

I really enjoyed the 3rd book in this series because it shows Luna taking chances even though she knows she could come out a looser in all. I found this to be a "cant stop til the book is over " read. The only sad note is the ending of this book...it leaves a definate LOOSE ending and I do not want to give away the ending but I am hoping there is resolution in book 4 "Witch Craft". Other than the ending -which does have a huge impact on Luna -I loved this book and definately recommend it for all!!