cover image The Craving

The Craving

Jason Starr. Ace, $15 trade paper (368p) ISBN 978-1-937007-55-3

Simon Burns and his single dad cronies from The Pack (2011) return in this similarly dark and humorous look into what life is like in modern Manhattan when you suffer from a "lycanthropic disorder." NYPD homicide detective Geri Rodriguez is trying to connect Burns and his pals to the death of a successful 38-year-old Upper East Sider from the climax of their first outing. Pack leader Michael Hartman's 141-year-old dad, Volker, is turning on him, hinting to Simon that during WWII his son was a "Nazi werewolf serial killer." Simon's marriage is still rocky, if without worries that he may "wolf out" and devour his wife. Simon has many problems%E2%80%94"it was hard to appreciate the positives of being a werewolf"%E2%80%94but at least when Simon sings in the shower, he now sounds like Barry White. As usual, Starr (Panic Attack) pictures a completely convincing New York scene, spiced lightly with sprinkles of Lon Chaney Jr. (June)