Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland

In September I received a copy of Any Given Doomsday as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program.  Its release date is set for November 4th, 2008. In Any Given Doomsday, the reader meets Elizabeth Phoenix, a former cop with psychometric powers.  Ruthie, her foster mother and the only person who ever truly loved her, is attacked.  Liz finds Ruthie and receives a gift from her before Ruthie passes away.  One of Ruthie’s other foster children, Jimmy Sanducci, is implicated in the attack.  Liz hasn’t seen Jimmy, her first love, since she found out he cheated on her.  She must find out why Ruthie was attacked and if Jimmy was involved.  Doomsday Can Wait, the next book in the Phoenix Chronicles, will be released in May 2009.

This is one of those books I’d define as a guilty pleasure.  I read it in one weekend because it was difficult to put down.  The pacing is well done as is the supernatural creature mythology.  I thought this was an interesting take on the battle between good and evil presented in most apocalyptic scenarios.  Some of the sex moved the plot along but little of it revealed anything of the characters.  The three main characters are cliches but I’m willing to forgive this; the book is obviously setting up the series.  Sawyer, the Native American skinwalker that provided psychic guidance to Liz when she was fifteen and features strongly in Any Given Doomsday is sure to make an appearance in the next book.  While he is part of the Federation fighting against evil his motives are not always for the good of the team or the world. 

You can win your own autographed copy of Any Given Doomsday by answering a question on Handeland’s web site prior to Noon EST on Halloween.    The answer can be found in my review.  Here is Handeland’s contest page.  (It appears she regularly runs contests for her readers.)  Handeland wrote a short story prequel to Any Given Doomsday that can be downloaded here.