In this action-packed horror novel, a soldier who fights the supernatural baddies must take a stand against flesh-eating ghouls, face betrayal within his own unit, and save a young boy’s life.

Though Keith Melton has several published works in the general genre I read, this is the first book of his I've picked up. Originally, I was attracted to the professional cover (aren't we all?). Shiny lights and astrological symbols, a military guy carrying both an automatic weapon and a sword? And, of course, the pretty blues and purples. Ooooh, ahhh. :) Sure got my attention!

Despite the pretty, pretty cover, 9mm Blues is not the typical kind of book I read. My preference tends to be toward 1st person urban fantasy with lots of world building, lots of internal and emotional struggle, and lots of kick-ass vengeance wreaking. I also know squat about military stuff and tend to get lost and bored with a lot of military detail. This story is all military and primarily action-oriented with very little world-building. There is not much vengeance-wreaking at a personal level -- the bad guy is just a bad guy. I know many people for whom this is the preferred type of reading, so no judgement here; just that it's not what usually appeals to me.

And still, I really enjoyed this book! Though the POV is 3rd person limited, we see the story solely through the eyes of the protagonist. Melton does a good job of conveying both the action and the protagonist's thoughts and emotions. It's a good balance -- Chris Hill is a good guy, but not terribly self-aware, so there isn't a lot of navel-gazing going on. ;) There isn't a lot of world-building, but I don't think it's neccessary. The world is very similar to ours with just a few supernatural elements that we're probably familiar with from pop-culture, so there's no need for a lot of explanation. Not to say it's boring or totally unoriginal -- that's not true at all! But if you're familiar with the supernatural from movies, TV, or books, you'll catch on quick.

And the kicker... there is a dog. Yeah, I'm a sucker for animals. Not only is there a dog, but everyone is nice to the dog and the dog doesn't die! Keith, thank you for that. Oh, and I'm going to give you a little spoiler here -- the dog is a basenji, and basenji's don't bark. So if you're wondering how in the world a dog could survive in this story and not get everyone killed, that's why. I was so tickled to have that piece of knowledge while reading the story.

So, yeah, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book and how much I'm looking forward to the next one. I think it really hits that sweet spot between action-oriented and introspective and so will appeal to fans of both types of stories. I can't wait for Agent Annie and her husband to read it; not only are they both ex-military, but they also own a basenji. ;)

Purchased. Review courtesy of onebooktwo | one book, two reviews. ( )