Wow! What a complex, fun, just plain wonderful book! Suzanne McLeod has created an alternate London where vampires are celebrities, spotting fae is an everyday occurrence, and magic is reality. Genny Taylor is a Spellcracker for a witch-run company called Spellcrackers.com. She is asked to investigate the murder of a beautiful girl, supposedly by a popular vampire, an investigation that will turn Genevieve's world upside down!
The first half of the book is spent introducing a rather large cast of characters, and laying the foundation of the alternate London that Ms. McLeod has created. It's a richly layered novel, and I had a bit of trouble keeping everything straight at first, but during the second half, it all resolved into a cohesive whole. The action rarely let up, and Ms. McLeod ratcheted up the tension until the very end. Genny is a strong character, although flawed, and she has a secret that threatens to undo everything she holds dear. The sexual tension between her and her soon-to-be boss Finn (a satyr, no less), is palpable, and I'm sure will be explored in future books (well, I hope it will!). The Sweet Scent of Blood was, all in all, a fun and exciting read, and I'll look forward to the next in the series!...more