Changes

''Omens'' is an apt title for this book. All throughout the narrative, there's a creeping sense of danger just around the corner. It's a crime story that borrows a lot from horror - moving gargoyles, ravens, mysterious Omens - and though it's not overtly overly frightening, there's a definite sense of tension and unease ringing through every page.

The characters are deftly drawn - despite her upbringing in a privileged family, Olivia is utterly relatable. She has the confidence and naivety of riches, but she has an integrity and desire to prove herself that gets you behind her from the opening pages. Her relationship with Gabriel is also well done, the slow burn of the build -up to trust and then to friendship over this book promises that the probable love story between them will be all the more satisfying when they eventually get there.

Unlike Armstrong's ''Women of the Otherworld'' series, the fantastical side of the story isn't overt. There are lots of hints and suggestions peppered throughout, but readers looking for another werewolf story are going to be disappointed. Instead, this is a fast -paced crime thriller with an undercurrent of the fantastical which I imagine will come more to the fore in the next instalment.

The only slightly jarring aspect of the book was the switch between Olivia's first -person narrative and the third person narrative of other characters. I can see why being inside Olivia's head was necessary to truly empathise with her, but the transition did take a bit of getting used to, though not enough to truly impact on my enjoyment of the book.

For slightly more fantastical serial killers, check out [[Elysian Fields by Suzanne Johnson]]. You might appreciate [[Dead Water by Simon Ings]], but ''Omens'' is the better book.