This urban fantasy takes place in a slightly alternate version of contemporary America, several years after a test group of Lesser Fae have 'come out' and revealed their existence to the human populace. With their reception being less than pleasant, a majority of the other bump-in-the-night citizens have been keeping a more unofficial profile. The story is werewolf-centric and follows Mercedes Thompson, a rare coyote shifter who was at one time raised by wolves but never met with acceptance in their social structure. 
 Mercy turned out to be a competent heroine this reviewer greatly enjoyed. Told entirely from her first-person perspective, the reader is treated to an intelligent, matter-of-fact narrative--brimming with grit and wit. What Mercy lacks in brute force she makes up for with guile and an eclectic cast of friends. She's a deeply caring and emotional character, but she doesn't make a production out of it. 
 "Werewolves, like other predators, respect bravado. If you are too careful not to anger them, they'll see it as weakness--and weak things are prey." ~ Mercy 
 While there is something of a love triangle that eventually develops, the minor romantic subplot takes a backseat to the action and tightly woven world-building. (Note: plenty of contextual shapeshifter-based sensuality and some mentioning of sex, but no sex scenes--for whomever it may concern.) The prose is effective and richly defined. And though there was a bit of an excess of mundane daily details included at times, the pacing remained steady and effortless a vast majority of the time. There's the essence of a mystery, which culminates in something of a preternatural special forces operation that felt a bit tossed in...but overall an enjoyable read.