Review: Red Fox by Karina Halle

Book: Red Fox

By: Karina Halle

Publication Date: June 13, 2011

Publisher: Createspace (Self Published)

Description: In the for­got­ten town of Red Fox, New Mex­ico, a Navajo cou­ple is tor­tured by things unseen and by motives unknown. Wild ani­mals slink through their house in the dark, a bar­rage of stones pound their roof nightly, and muti­lated sheep car­casses are turn­ing up on their prop­erty. Armed with a cam­era and just enough to go on, Perry and Dex travel to the des­o­late locale, hop­ing to film the super­nat­ural occur­rences and add cred­i­bil­ity to their flail­ing web­cast. Only their show has a lot more work­ing against them than just grow­ing pains. Tested by dubi­ous ranch hands, a ghost from Dex’s past, and shapeshift­ing decep­tion, the ama­teur ghost hunters must learn to trust each other in order to fight the most ancient of myths…or die trying.

Red Fox is the sec­ond book of the Exper­i­ment in Ter­ror Series and a depar­ture from Dark­house. Aside from Perry and Dex offi­cially hav­ing a work­ing rela­tion­ship, and a web series at stake (called, what else, “Exper­i­ment in Ter­ror”), there are mythic super­nat­ural ele­ments, an eclec­tic cast of char­ac­ters, and a lonely land­scape that comes along for this fast-paced ride.

My Thoughts: Red Fox was a great book. I loved almost everything about it. I have never read a book like this and I would definitely read it again!

Okay, I must admit that I love shapeshifters and other paranormals much more than ghosts, but that wasn’t the only reason I loved Red Fox more than Darkhouse. (See review here) Red Fox had so much of everything I love: sexual tension, playful banter, comedic relief, trouble/conflict, shapeshifters, untold secrets of Navajo tribes, secrets, betrayal, near death experiences, and so much more. I could not put this book down, and when I absolutely had to stop reading, I thought about the book every second that passed.

Perry’s life outside of ghost hunting seems to be falling apart. She lost her job (which of course she can’t tell her parents about) and can’t find another job, and she still has strange nightmares. She also has the failing ghost hunter’s web show that needs to get something good on film or the one good thing she has going for her will be lost. It is at this point that she goes to Red Fox, New Mexico with her partner Dex to help a Navajo couple. What ensues is not only frightening and exciting, but also hilarious and sexy. Perry is still so secretive, and a scaredy cat, and a magnet for trouble and it’s interesting to watch her progression of emotion throughout the book. Perry deals with so many near death experiences and issues that I’m sure I would have passed out if I were her.

Dex, the sexy and strange partner of Perry Palomino is even more annoying and sexy that in Darkhouse. Perry thinks she no longer has feelings for him, a good thing since he is (still) taken. But alas, she does! The fact that not only does she have to be around him 24/7, but also play house with him in front of the Navajo couple causes this book to release a multitude of sexual tension and playful banter that are so thoroughly entertaining that I was practically giggling like a schoolgirl at some scenes. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife and I found myself getting angry and screaming at Perry through the book, telling her to just “Jump his bones already!” I loved how much more intense and serious their relationship got in this book.

We are introduced to many new characters in this book. Maximus, Dex’s ex band mate and ex-friend, Sara and Will, the strange Navajo couple who broke off from the Navajo customs and religion, and Shan, Bird, Miguel and Rudy, some interesting people that play important roles in the novel. These additional characters are quite interesting. Because we don’t know any of them, and therefore don’t trust them, it’s a constant mystery trying to figure out why this is going on and who is doing it. It's like the movie, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” As soon as you think you know who it is, something happens and you think it’s someone else, only to find out that It can’t be them and go back to the previous guess. It is for this reason that the book stays away from seeming predictable.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I felt all the right reactions and most were voiced out loud to the amusement of bystanders as I read the book. (I even had someone ask me if I was okay after I yelled “Oh No!!! Don’t Do It!!! Ugh!!! Why??” in the middle of this soup restaurant called Zoup at lunchtime. I quickly apologized to all those onlookers who were now staring at me.) It was hilarious!! I will be anxiously awaiting the next installment in the series, Dead Sky Morning, released on October 13.