Greed and Other Dangers

A lackluster central mystery drags down the second urban fantasy in Nichols’s Mytho series (after Lust and Other Drugs). A parallel world of gods and mythical monsters has collapsed into modern-day Earth, and now magic and suspicion run amok. Insp. Jordan Kells of the San Francisco Police Department and Edra Tendric, a Mytho Knight with the ability to shape-shift into a dragon, work together to investigate who has been stealing magical artifacts and selling them to the highest bidder. In an established romantic relationship following the events of book one, Kells and Tendric attempt to navigate the reality of their different needs and cultures; dragons mate for life, and Kells isn’t sure if he’s ready for that level of commitment. The angst of Tendric and Kells’s relationship overpowers the rest of the plot, however, while the police procedural elements are muddled and the exposition clunky. Paranormal romance readers will be invested in the tortured central couple, but fantasy fans will be disappointed by the inconsistent worldbuilding and fizzling climax. (Dec.)