(Reaper 02) Cat's Claw
Amber BensonCalliope Reaper-Jones is Death's Daughter. She owes a debt to Cerberus, the three headed dog that guards the gate's of hell-a debt that involves a trip to Purgatory, Las Vegas, ancient Egypt, and a discount department store that's more frightening than any supernatural creature she'll ever encounter.
Benson follows up Death's Daughter with a complicated, slow-moving tale. Being the half-human daughter of the Grim Reaper has advantages—such as immortality—but Calliope Reaper-Jones would rather just get on with her ordinary life in New York City. Then Callie learns that her lost love may still be alive; a dangerous cat-shaped spirit guide seeks human form; and Cerberus, the three-headed guardian of Hell, demands Callie locate and turn over a mysterious architect who's gone missing. Callie bounces from twist to twist as she explores Benson's richly imagined world, where multiple mythologies blend, and the afterlife is run as a corporation. The chick lit voice gets its share of laughs, but the frenzied pace fails to hide the lack of heart or the sense that this time around, the stakes never really amount to much. (Mar.)
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AMBER BENSON co-created, co-wrote, and directed the animated supernatural web-series Ghosts of Albion with Christopher Golden, followed by a series of novels including Witchery and Accursed, and the novella Astray. Benson and Golden also co-authored the novella The Seven Whistlers. As an actress, she has appeared in dozens of roles in feature films, TV movies, and television series, including the fan favorite role of Tara Maclay on three seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Benson wrote, produced, and directed the feature films Chance and Lovers, Liars, and Lunatics.