Blue Moon    by Lori Handeland Order:  USA  Can St. Martin's, 2004 (2004) Paperback      Reviewed by Rashmi Srinivas A woman is bitten at the scene of an accident on the night of a full moon. Jessie McQuade, a no-nonsense, smart-mouthed police officer in the small tourist town of Miniwa, Wisconsin, searches the dark woods for a possibly rabid wolf. Instead she discovers a splendidly naked professor - Will Cadotte, expert in Native American mythology. When the bitten woman later goes mad and engages in a killing spree, this is only the beginning of a bizarre sequence of events. Discovering that an ancient Ojibwe legend may be relevant, Jesse reluctantly approaches Will for help. Sparks fly, wills clash and temperatures soar. Jessie's bull-headed pragmatism wars with Native American Will's belief in the unbelievable, while she struggles against their mutual attraction. The arrival of Mandenauer, a 'Jäger-Sucher' (a hunter-searcher sent by the government to destroy what looks like wolves carrying a mutant strain of rabies), adds fuel to the fire. Jessie is surrounded by mystifying men and their outlandish but plausible theories, and living under the escalating terror of constant wolf attacks. The town is on the verge of economic collapse as tourists leave in droves. Outraged locals are turning into vigilantes. These are just a few of Jessie's problems. How do Nazis, werewolves and blue moons fit into this peculiar plot? Readers should find out for themselves by reading this enjoyable story. Lori Handeland makes a superlative debut in the world of paranormal romance with Blue Moon, first in an enticing new Moon trilogy. The author convincingly mixes facts and fiction, ancient Native American legends with Nazi experiments and paranormal beings, to create a twisted and mysterious tale that is utterly engrossing. I liked smart-aleck, prickly Jessie McQuade with a chip on her shoulder from an unhappy childhood. Besides being authentic, Jessie acts as the voice of the reader, questioning bizarre events as they unfold. Will, on the other hand, is an enigma, who cannot be classified as either friend or foe, thus adding to the suspense. Together they make an explosive and unpredictable couple. Mystery, tension and huge doses of the paranormal all add to the exhilarating drama. Blue Moon is simply not to be missed and I hope the upcoming books in this trilogy, set to release some time next year, will prove to be as edgy and amazing as this one. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Romance books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews