No Humans Involved: Women of the Otherworld    by Kelley Armstrong Order:  USA  Can Spectra, 2007 (2007) Hardcover, CD, e-Book Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Martina Bexte After many years as a stage medium, Jaime Vegas is on the verge of breaking into television, something she's worked towards for a long time. She's signed on as one of three guest spiritualists starring in a television special, in which they hope to raise the ghost of Marilyn Monroe. Jaime knows her co-stars are phonies, but she has no intention of upstaging them; she'll be too busy suppressing her talents or will find herself constantly bombarded by pleas from lost souls or those unable to cross over. But Jaime can't escape the inevitable. Once she steps into the lush and sprawling gardens of the estate where the TV special is being filmed, ghosts immediately show themselves - some are merely curious and playful while others are frantic and confused. These ghosts of murdered children, whose lives were brutally cut short, cry out for Jaime's help. Soon, she and fellow supernatural Jeremy Danvers are hot on the trail of a group of humans who are using black magic and the ritual sacrifice of children to harness their own residual powers. Jaime is determined to unmask them before more innocent lives are taken. In Armstrong's well-realized world, humans co-exist with all manner of supernatural creatures including werewolves, witches, and human/demon hybrids who exhibit interesting talents from their demonic sires. After secondary roles in previous stories, where Jaime and Jeremy downplayed their attraction, they finally make their relationship official. However, doing so will not be without risks. As Alpha of his pack, Jeremy is under constant threat from rivals and Jaime's necromonic talents often leave her open to human and demon interference. Armstrong does a nice job of balancing the plot with their budding romance, while dropping tantalizing clues about the darker aspects of both their backgrounds - personal baggage that the author will certainly explore in future books. There are also entertaining secondary roles for several other recurring characters. No Humans Involved is another clever and darkly imaginative chapter in Kelley Armstrong's engrossing Women of the Otherworld series. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Fantasy books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews