Every Which Way but Dead
By Kim Harrison

In Harrison's third Rachel Morgan novel, the witch strikes a deal with the devil. To get demon Algaliarept to testify at the trial of evil vampire Piscary, who poses an imminent threat to witch Rachel, she agrees to let Algaliarept become her familiar and share her aura. Rachel is certain she can maintain control, since she is keeping her soul. When she changes places with the demon's old familiar, Ceri, she takes pity on the girl and rescues her from the demon's clutches. Rachel is distracted by the two men in her life. Boyfriend Nick is pulling away after Rachel accidentally made him her familiar. Unsure of how to reconnect with him, Rachel finds she isn't immune to the charms of Kisten, a sexy vampire who worked for Piscary. As she finds herself falling for Kisten, she learns that Algaliarept poses a greater danger than she first expected.

This book felt to me like Kim Harrison was really hitting her stride in writing. Although the first two books were really good reads this one was definitely better. There was actually less relentless action in it and much more time was spent with the characters - Rachel, Ivy and Kisten mainly. Jenks and his family are in the story, of course, as light relief and I love their interactions; this book was a bit more steamy than the previous two and there was more focus on the relationship between Ivy and Rachel. Overall this was another really good read from Kim Harrison. Less spells, more character, and I felt that was a definite improvement in direction and made for a more enjoyable and meaty book.