I've wanted to read the Greywalker books for a decent amount of time now. I received the first one from an exchange a whiles back, and I have the third one as well. My edition of the second one seems to have disappeared sadly, but I sorted that out quickly enough. All that rambling means is that I enjoyed the book quite a lot and can't wait for more.

Harper is...different. She doesn't take things on face value and she can multi-task really well. Her death, because she did truly die for a bit there, opened her up to a whole new level of life that she probably wished stayed hidden, but that she deals with admirably. The 'Grey' is our reality, but not quite. Like The Outer Limits or Twilight Zone, the Grey happens all around us, but for the most part no one has any idea about it. And how people are tuned into the Grey differs from person to person, talent to talent. About halfway through the book I was feeling as sick as Harper anytime she slipped through the Grey quite honestly.

The cast of characters surrounding Harper are equally intriguing--from Quinton (freelance troubleshooter) to Will (antiques auctioneer), they manage to balance out Harper's bluntness. The Danzigers--Ben and Mara--were the most interesting to me. They're in similar fields of study, that is of the paranormal, but have entirely different approaches to it. Ben is more about the science of the unexplained, getting to know the grit and details of what makes the Grey work so to speak. Mara is a witch, she's got firsthand experience with the Grey and what it can do if you're not careful. They butt heads on occasion throughout the book, with a culminating heated discussion near the end involving just how differently they view things.

Harper handles 2 primary cases--the disappearance of college kid Cameron and finding a lost heirloom for a mysterious client. At first both seem pretty routine, but as they unfold it becomes obvious that its just as well that Harper is becoming acclimated to the Grey. Her transition isn't easy, she doesn't just accept that suddenly hey ghosts and vampires and witches really exist; she fights it. She fights it until it makes her sick and then keeps trying to fight it some more. She never wanted to be 'special', she was happy with an ordinary life.
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http://bactra.org/weblog/algae-2007-12.html#greywalker ( )

Not what I expected after all the hype. Wasn't crazy about the writing style, almost put it down but wanted to see what happened.

http://whatsonthebookshelf.blogspot.com/2010/11/grey-gray-whatever.html ( )

I liked this book enough to pick up the second one. but I am just not sure how I feel about it as a whole. I like the main character and I like the premise. I can't quite put my finger on what I didn't like, for now chalking it up to being a first book by a new author. going to give the second book a go. ( )

Listening to the Audible version. This just got tiresome. I don't care enough about the characters to finish the story. ( )

Not sure what to say here....um, I finished it. Going to put it aside and revisit it in a few months. Maybe then I can enjoy it or at least be able to pinpoint why I didn't enjoy it. ( )

This is the first book in a series, and while it's obvious at the end that it is starting a series, it is not annoying about that fact. In other words, while the door is left wide open for sequels, there is no stupid cliffhanger leaving the reader dangling.

I did enjoy the premise for this book. Essentially, the main character is legally dead for a couple of minutes, and when she's resuscitated she is able to access the ghost world -- otherwise known as the Grey. (Hence the title.) It's a little annoying that she spends a lot of the book denying that the Grey has any impact on her, when she's so obviously (to the reader) being affected by it, but it is also completely believable that she would want to ignore anything which reminds her of the fact that she died, even just for a brief moment. I plan on eventually continuing with the series: if she's still rejecting the Grey to the same extent in book two, then I may reevaluate my opinion of how much this colors my enjoyment of the series. (AKA: in book one, it's okay. In book two, a lot less okay.)

The characters in the novel were fun. I liked the main character, and the bulk of the supporting cast. I especially like the guy she gets to help her with her alarm system, and while he's "just a friend" in book one, I kinda suspect he may turn into a love interest in later books. I like the witch and the scholar couple that she gets Grey lessons from, too. (Sorry for the lack of names... I'm feeling too lazy to look up spellings.)

I do have high hopes for this series. It seems like a true urban fantasy series, and I hope that it doesn't go the way of some other urban fantasies that turned into paranormal romance love-fests (Anita Blake, I'm looking at you). I do enjoy paranormal romances, don't get me wrong. But I miss the good urban fantasy books that have all of the paranormal without the tons of sex. Maybe this will fill that void? Here's hoping. ( )

My first encounter with Kat Richardson was in 2009 in Jim Butcher's "Mean Streets", an anthology of four Urban Fantasy PIs that included Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden, Simon R Green's Nightsider and Thomas E. Sniegoski's Remy Chandler.

Kat Richardson's "The Third Death Of The Little Clay Dog" was by far the best story in the book. Set in Mexico on the Day of the Dead, it was an accomplished short story, full of local colour, mysticism and intrigue, lit up by flashes of humour. It left me wanting to know more about the heroine, Harper Blaine and what it meant to be a Greywalker.

Six years later, I finally followed through and listened to the audiobook of Kat Richardson's "Greywalker", book one in the Greywalker series.

It's a competent, well-plotted Urban Fantasy with some new twists on the supernatural and the "Grey" that sits between our daylight world and the world of magic or perhaps death. It suffers a little from an Series One, Episode One feel but there's enough there to make me want to read book two: a diverse cast of characters, so good ideas on the supernatural, well written dialogue and good action scenes.

What I missed, which I remember being present in "The Third Death Of The Little Clay Dog" was a strong sense of who Harper Blaine is. I ended this "Greywalker" feeling that I hadn't yet met the real Harper Blaine. Instead, I'd read her "origins" story.

Still, it was an interesting origins story and I can see that Harper Blaine has lots of potential. ( )

Harper Blaine

Probably the most meh book I've read this year. It's also why it took me forever to finish. ( )

You can read my review of the book here: http://www.thegenretraveler.com/horror/travel-reads-greywalker/ ( )

The concept and premise of this book are both of interest to me, and overall I enjoyed the story. But it definitely feels like a "set up the series" novel, which led to a few pacing issues, and there were times when word choices threw me out of the story. ( )

Greywalker is a solid introductory novel into the world of Harper Blaine. I read it in one day and enjoyed it.

In this world, there's the "grey," an area between this world and the next, where ghosts, vampires, and other assorted creatures exist. I thought Ms. Richardson did a nice job building the world, as the reader learns about it as Harper does. Harper is an intriguing heroine and finally one that has some sense. She's tough, but not so much that she does stupid things. For instance, while she carries and gun and will use it, she calls the cops when she sees her office being burgled, instead of confronting the burglars. I found that smart, especially for a P.I., and a refreshing change of pace from the typical run-right-into-trouble-head-on-without-thinking urban fantasy main character. I also liked that she had a ferret. I haven't read many books where the heroine has a pet ferret. It was kind of a refreshing change.

As for the other characters, it's about 50-50. I thought some of them were nicely developed, but some of them were very one dimensional. Also, a couple things felt forced, such as Will leaving Seattle. It felt like, "even though we've set you & Harper up, you really don't fit into the next book, so we need to get rid of you." Also, the ending felt a bit anti-climatic after such a big build up. But, there's still mystery surrounding Harper and her new status as a Greywalker. Not all the story lines finished, so there's still a good amount to discover in the next book in the series. I'm particularly interested in learning more about Quinton. Overall, a good start for a debut novel ( )

Interesting... and parts of the story held together very well, but other parts - not so much. Some 'logic' flaws that I had trouble getting over. Yes, this is fiction.. yes, the author gets to make up whatever rules he/she wants.. but then they have to follow those rules.
I know this was the first in a series... might try the next one to see how it works.
The rating was tough, because there were certainly sections that were 4 stars, perhaps nearing 5.. but in between them were 2 star sections. Ergo - the 3 star rating. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. It was a good introduction to the series, settings, and main characters without being too wordy/over explaining everything and it had good detail and action packed scenes. Our main character, Harper, is a sassy PI, despite her many new ghostly encounters. She is strong and manages to overcome various obstacles in the story and well as showing vulnerability of being afraid of "the grey", but she doesn't let it control her life. She has difficulty while using her powers to manipulate "the grey" (in the book she describes it as a kind of foggy web that she can step inside of; like a portal),but with the help of fun couple Ben and Mara Danzinger she eventually gets the hang of it.

I felt that the use of the concept "they grey" was clever and unique compared to the typical names/description of that "other dimension". Richardson really makes it her own. The Grey is a complicated place and only a tiny bit is explained and shown throughout the first novel. I just finished the second book (which I will also probably review and Richardson goes into even more detail about its power and capabilities). I also like that there are other supernatural forces besides ghosts in the series. We deal with Seattle section/precinct (I don't really know what to call it) of vampires and the politics that go on with them. I absolutely love Mara (the witch). She is such a funny character, and brings a sunny disposition to the novel seeing as the tones in the setting are gray (as well as other dark colors) and being set in rainy Seattle. ( )

Listening to the Audible version. This just got tiresome. I don't care enough about the characters to finish the story. ( )

I really want to like this book... And I do to a certain extent. The characters are interesting and I would like to see where they are headed, but the massive amount of info-dumping is going to keep me far away from the rest of this series. It continued through the entire book and, at points, was so vague I questioned if I was actually learning anything useful to the plot. Annoying that the writing is going to close the door on these characters for me, but I know there is better urban fantasy out there as well. ( )

"Greywalker" introduces you to your heroine Harper Blaine and the world of the Grey where shadows of history walk among us as "ghosts" without our knowledge. The Paranormal exists on a separate plane that few can see and even less enter and interact. Harper, a Private Investigator, finds that she can do just that after a brief brush with death. his book is well written but can at times get fairly scientific in its explanations of the physics of the Grey. Makes for a slower read since you have to "think" about what the characters are talking about. However, this by no means takes away from the story and plot line. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a mystery with a little paranormal mixed in. ( )

This book went on FOREVER, and yet it felt like nothing happened...forever. Way too much "I can't handle this" main character whining. So much of this book seems like it was just setting up the rest of the series - and not just the action of this particular installment of it. Great authors can do both at once.

I really liked some of the secondary characters (Quinton, Mara & Ben) - in fact, a lot more than I liked the boring and plodding main character, Harper. Can we switch protagonists? Because then I might continue with this series. As it stands, notsomuch. ( )

3.5
This is the first novel in this series. it is a bit rough at times, I got lost in some of the whirlwind details. I found myself lost on more than one occasion, the Grey was written so squirrelly. Everything was, stinky, squishy, swirly, I don't know.. What ?
The mystery keep my interested, I needed to know. she is hired by a vampire to help him get back into his favors. She is also hired to kill the same vampire by another vampire, and around it goes. She is brought into a very nasty case with an organ that has a very evil past. This organ is being searched for by a strange man with nefarious reasons. Somehow all this ties together...
I found I liked the characters. Harper the PI who was forever changed with a brief moment with death. She is just dropped into this world of others and is completely out of her element. Will, the helpful and sexy auctioneer. Cameron, the new and confused vampire...And the most unique of all the handyman, jack of all trades Quinton, there are too may to name here.
Even with the confusion of parts of the story, I will continue the series. ( )

We went to Seattle and really liked the vibe. I wanted to buy a book that showcased the city and I love spooky books so this series fit the bill. It was an fast, enjoyable read. ( )

(Previous comment when abandoned: Not in the mood for dark.)

Kind of a shakey start to the series I think. I read this book after enjoying one of Kat Richardson's short stories in the Mean Streets Anthology.
I do like the characters but the notion of "The Gray" had me a bit confused in a convoluted way. I also read the second book in the series but which a bit better and started the third but i think I'm going to have a hard time finishing it:( ( )

I suppose it's rather revealing that I couldn't even remember reading this book, even though the Bookmark app I use to listen to audiobooks on my iPhone showed it as "finished." But after I read a few plot summaries, it started to come back to me. I guess the story didn't make that much of an impression on me, or perhaps I listened to it at a time when it didn't have my full attention. I might consider trying the second in the series, particularly if it's more highly rated than this one and is on sale. ( )

Really good urban fantasy! ( )