Hands of Flame (The Negotiator, Book 3) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Lawyer Margrit Knight is one of the few humans aware of New York City's otherworldy denizens; known as the Negotiator among the Old Races who dwell behind the scenes, she calls upon her allies, a fallen dragon and her vampire employer, when her gargoyle lover is kidnapped and placed on trial by his "peers." While wrapping up many loose ends, the concluding volume of Murphy's Negotiator trilogy (Heart of Stone; House of Cards) leaves open the possibility of future explorations into an urban fantasy that brings some unusual creatures, such as gargoyles, djinn, and selkies, into the modern world. Margrit is a gutsy, resourceful heroine who can walk a fine line between the paranormal and the real world. A good choice for most libraries, with particular appeal to fans of Charles de Lint and Jim Butcher.
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From Booklist

African American Hispanic Legal Aid lawyer Margrit Knight, who discovered the existence of the Old Races in Heart of Stone (2007), has been changed by love for the gargoyle Alban and being saved from death by vampire blood. Now Alban, self-exiled from his people to protect a secret, is bound for criminal court, and the strict Old Races trial procedures will open his memories to the tribunal. Margrit fearlessly throws herself into situation after peril-filled situation to avert war among Old Races factions and iron things out with the dragon Janx and her new boss, vampire Eliseo Daisani. The Negotiator trilogy wraps up nicely. --Diana Tixier Herald

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Luna (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373802706
• ISBN-13: 978-0373802708
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #253,083 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 3 in The Negotiator Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling Ending to an Original and Creative Trilogy, August 31, 2008

By	Grace Chen (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm going through Old Races withdrawl right now...I can hardly believe the trilogy is over and I wish I had read this book more slowly!

In my opinion "Hands of Flame" is the best of the three. There's lots of action and mystery right from the beginning, none of which lets up until the very satisfying conclusion (which leaves you happy but also desperate to know what happens next - several interesting events are revealed at the end that I want desperately pursued in the near future).

This last volume deals with Margrit (a human woman) acting fully in the role as Negotiator between the bickering Old Races, whether she wants to or not. There are plotlines dealing with the rivalries between Alban and Biali (gargoyles), Selkies + Djinn, Janx (dragon) + Daisani (vampire), and various humans, in all the combinations you can think of. These, and other new developments (hinted at in the previous books - *children*) are resolved with a healthy mixture of suspense, mystery, and of course, action. The conflicts are very complex, but you don't get lost: you get completely immersed in the book and devoted to the world that Murphy creates, hence the withdrawl I am currently going through.

I suggest you read the first two books in the series first; they just get increasingly better, and this last book is positively explosive. If the idea of gargoyles, dragons, selkies, djinn, and vampires all together in one series of books is interesting to you, then I can't recommend "The Negotiator Trilogy" enough.

***P.S.***
I LOVED that reference to the Disney cartoon "Gargoyles" on page 222. That show is one of the best animated series ever produced, and deserves to have at least a mention in a fantasy series that has gargoyles as its main mythological creature. It's hard not to imagine Alban as Goliath ;)

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect ending to a Perfect Trilogy, August 26, 2008

By	booklvr4life "booklvr4life" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

The 3rd and final book (although I hope there are more to come) was perfect. All of my burning questions were answered and a few new ones replaced them but yet closure was still given. The book presented a Happy Ever After ending which I love! There was wonderful character developement in the book and the book was fast paced yet steady. There was so much happening in the book I could hardly put it down. Right from the start action takes off. I hope that more books will come there are alot of burning questions and storylines that could follow the old races. If you are a fan of the sci fi, urban fantasy, or paranormal romance genre this series is a must have!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying End to a Trilogy, February 5, 2009

By	A. Lee (L.A., CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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Margrit Knight's life has been... complex... since the gargoyle Alban Stoneheart asked for help back in the first book, revealing a secret world of five Old Races: Gargoyles, Vampires, Djinn, Dragons, and Selkies. It turns out that the Old Races, marginalized and secretive, still need someone, an outsider, to help negotiate amongst them--for instance, to forestall a war that could further diminish their numbers AND put them in danger of discovery by humans. Margrit, despite her career as a defense lawyer at LegalAid and the extreme danger of a human caught between powerful magical creatures, likes the challenge and the thrill (she regularly runs in the Park at night). And she's involved with Alban, so the hidden world is now a part of her life.

The story starts in a fast clip as Margrit is drawn back into danger as Alban's enemy, Biali, sweeps her away in order to capture Alban so he can pay for killing another gargoyle. She still owes Janx, the dragon and crimelord, favors, and he's currently angry over losing his base of operations (in the last book), and those temporarily sheltering him want Margrit to get him out. The selkies and the djinn are on the verge of open warfare over territory at the docks. Margrit herself is in danger of a deadly retribution after a Djinn was killed in the last book. And there's an old secret between Daisani the Vampire, Janx and Alban, that still has repercussions in the current time.

There are the characters from the previous books and some fun new characters. Plenty of crosses and double-crosses and favor-trading goes on... and characters doing horrible things and yet not being totally despicable... or at least not to Margrit, who seems to be able to deal with all comers with astounding equanimity (perhaps related to her ability to defend criminals?). The action is non-stop and as wild a roller-coaster as any of the earlier books. My one quibble would be that I'd have liked to have seen more interaction between Magrit and Alban on a personal level, but what there was was still good enough. And the wrap-up at the end was nicely satisfying. Those who enjoyed the previous books should enjoy this one, too.