Everything Under The Moon

Johnson’s debut novel has a few interesting moments, but is largely another by-the-numbers mashup of gritty urban fantasy and noir, replete with clichés and stereotypes. The werewolf blood in Gelson Verber’s veins sharpens his senses and makes him strong and fast, but also makes him unstable. He hunts down rich rapists and fences their goods to a fence named Lemont, a pure stock character. When Gelson’s latest victim turns out to have been a setup, he’s forced to work for a mysterious fellow werewolf named Cristophe and his assistant, Linda. Their assignment leads to a complicated but uninteresting plot involving a rich computer genius and his slate of transgender lovers (Gelson usually uses the proper pronouns but also throws in words like “ladyboy”). There’s little here that hasn’t been done better elsewhere, but readers who care more about a high body count and assorted betrayals than an interesting take on werewolves will find what they’re looking for here. Agent: Mark Gottlieb, Trident Media Group. (Sept.)