Book Review: Hungry Ghosts (Eric Carter Series book 3) by Stephen Blackmoore

Hungry Ghosts (Eric Carter Series book 3)

by Stephen Blackmoore
February 7, 2017
Publisher: DAW
Necromancer Eric Carter's problems keep getting bigger. Bad enough he's the unwilling husband to the patron saint of death, Santa Muerte, but now her ex, the Aztec King of the dead, Mictlantecuhtli, has come back -- and it turns out that Carter and he are swapping places. As Mictlantecuhtli breaks loose of his prison of jade, Carter is slowly turning to stone. To make matters worse, both gods are trying to get Carter to assassinate the other. But only one of them can be telling him the truth and he can't trust either one. Carter's solution? Kill them both.

If he wants to get out of this situation with his soul intact he'll have to go to Mictlan, the Aztec land of the dead, and take down a couple of death gods while facing down the worst trials the place has to offer him: his own sins.

I received a digital ARC of this novel courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a honest and voluntary review. In Stephen Blackmoore’s latest paranormal noir, Hungry Ghosts, Eric Carter who is married to the saint of death, Santa Muerte, is a mage who can see ghosts of all kinds. Thanks to his body taking on green jade that he got from Muerte’s former husband, Mictlantecuhtli, he has been hunting Muerte’s avatar, Tabitha (a past love interest) to find Muerte and the Aztec god-king, to end their marriage. The action of the book ventures from Los Angeles into Mexico, and to Mictlan, the Aztec land of the dead.

The book is dark, and at times, violent and bloody. Eric is fighting to survive, and his attitude toward his enemies is tough and hard at times. This includes Tabitha. But the novel is good and hooked me enough to keep reading it. What did bother me was his tough attitude and lack of emotions, which he has to be feeling from the way he was betrayed, especially from Tabitha. He does start to deal with those emotions once they meet each other down in Mexico City.

If you enjoy action adventure mixed with the supernatural and gods and goddesses, then the Eric Carter books are for you.

I give Hungry Ghosts 41/2 sheep.

Pamela Kinney

About the Author:
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Stephen Blackmoore is the Los Angeles based author of the noir / urban fantasy Eric Carter series, including DEAD THINGS, BROKEN SOULS, the upcoming HUNGRY GHOSTS, and the stand-alone CITY OF THE LOST. 

He has written tie-in novels for the role-playing game Spirit of The Century (KHAN OF MARS), the video-game Wasteland 2 (ALL BAD THINGS) and the television series Heroes Reborn (DIRTY DEEDS), as well as part of the Gods & Monster series (MYTHBREAKER). 

His short stories can be found at FIRESIDE FICTION, PLOTS WITH GUNS, and in anthologies such as URBAN ALLIES, DEADLY TREATS, DON'T READ THIS BOOK, UNCAGE ME and many others. 

He is represented by Allan Guthrie of Jenny Brown Associates.