Excellent collection of stories!

I read each of these stories as they came out and loved them… now the audio version makes them even better!

Corruption is the first of the three books, and does take place first in the timeline. This one introduces us to the Bureau of Tran Species Affairs, the organization created to deal with the monsters in the world… Charles Grimes, who is not quite human himself, is sent by his boss Townsend, to kill a demon. What he finds is Tenreal, a demon who has been captured, sold, and tortured by humans for years. Instead of killing him, Charles….. well, you’ll just have to read it!

Clay White may be the second book, but it’s the last one in the timeline. Clay is no longer an agent with the Bureau, but after so many years he can’t stop trying to save people. He’s poking around in a club in San Francisco trying to locate what is killing young gay men. He meets Marek, an ancient vampire who helps him… in more ways than one! Clay gets some help from another source that I won’t mention due to spoilers.

Then we have Creature, the final book in the collection, but the middle book in the timeline. And my favorite of the three! Harry has left his home looking for a better life in Los Angeles, and had hopes of becoming an agent for the Bureau, but as Townsend tells him, he’s too soft. When he is at the end of his rope, Townsend offers him a chance to become an agent afterall. His mission is to attract the attention of a man who has been attempting to raise the dead and make a creature of sorts. Townsend sends Harry to Portland with a creature the Bureau has been storing for an unknown number of years. That creature turns out to be John… John changes over the few days the two are together, turning from an emaciated collection of bones and skin, to an intelligent, curious, caring partner for the lonely Harry. Harry is able to find Swann, the bad guy and…. you’ll have to read it to find out what happens to Harry and John!

I went through an emotional rollercoaster ride with these books… I was disturbed and horrified to see what humans can do, both the Tenreal and John. I was distressed for Charles, Clay, and Harry, who while different, have a common bond of loneliness. Actually Tenreal, Marek, and John share that bond now that I think about it. All of these beings, human and otherwise, are all a mess! Then there was the happiness I felt at the end of each story. Without giving too much away, I will say that each story does have a good ending.

I was also interested in Townsend. He appears to be human, an obnoxious, smoking, drinking human, but he’s been around a long time. What is he? We don’t really know!

Kim Fielding is one of my favorite authors, and these three stories are excellent. While they do tie in together, they are clearly individual plots. Each has a beginning, middle, and happy ending, with background to the characters, a little sex, emotions, darkness, light, and bonding between the characters.

Then we have the narration…. Hello! It’s Joel Leslie so it’s perfection. His voices are amazing, each fit the character, in accent and intonation. Especially John, as he changes, so does his voice. Joel Leslie is able to put so much emotion and passion in his voice in every book he narrates, from college age men, to Australian ranchers, to British billionaires, to demons, vampires, and lonely humans. His passion for his craft is evident in every book he narrates.

I have both read and listened to these stories and can tell you they are wonderful, in whichever format you prefer!