Maneater - Thomas Emson

For centuries the Greenacre and Templeton families wages a secret war. Man fought wolf and it seemed man won. But now that war is about to erupt once more, as Laura Greenacre and Michael Templeton collide in a bloody, visceral tale of werewolves oop North.

Can I just say - Awesome! Awesome to the max! I rarely meet a werewolf book I don't like, but Maneater is the best one I've read since Ivy Cole and the Moon. It's a grim, gritty, and occasionally uncomfortable novel that tends towards horror rather than urban fantasy. Laura, the titular maneater, is a fascinating character but she's definitely not a heroine. Seriously. She eats people. Like, alive. And yet, placed against power-hungry, bloodthirsty Michael, she's an angel. Morally dubious and ethically questionable, yes, but captivating all the same.

Emson stays away from the flashier aspects of werewolf mythology - no silver bullets or full moons here - but the simpler take on the tradition works well against a backdrop of Newcastle strip clubs and wild country estates. I'm always privately excited to read a story of this kind set in the UK, and Emson brilliantly uses the atmosphere of the northern setting to create an oppressive environment that's completely believable. All the characters are possessed with a world-weary ennui that's violently disrupted by Laura. When the action moves to London later in the book, that ennui is replaced with palpable urgency that grabs you by the throat and drags you into the bloody climax. And if the London scenes are slightly reminiscent of An American Werewolf in London, well, that's no bad thing.

What I especially liked is that Emson made no apologies for his characters. Laura and Michael aside, there were several characters who were unpleasant, nasty, broken, or just plain creepy, and Emson made them all human and convincing without pulling any punches. From rapists to hired mercenaries, they were all just as compelling as Laura.

There were a few hints that there could be a sequel - certainly there would be scope for it - but the main storyline was resolved. No happy, tidy endings for these guys, but this isn't a happy, tidy book. I don't think it will be to everyone's taste - too many grey areas and probably not enough romance for the urban fantasy market. But for a slice of British gothic violence, this book is perfect.