Nocturnal Origins (Nocturnal Lives) [Kindle Edition]

Amanda S. Green (Author)

Book Description

Some things can never be forgotten, no matter how hard you try.

Detective Sergeant Mackenzie Santos knows that bitter lesson all too well. The day she died changed her life and her perception of the world forever.It doesn’t matter that everyone, even her doctors, believe a miracle occurred when she awoke in the hospital morgue. Mac knows better. It hadn't been a miracle, at least not a holy one. As far as she’s concerned, that's the day the dogs of Hell came for her.

Investigating one of the most horrendous murders in recent Dallas history, Mac also has to break in a new partner and deal with nosy reporters who follow her every move and who publish confidential details of the investigation without a qualm.

Complicating matters even more, Mac learns the truth about her family and herself, a truth that forces her to deal with the monster within, as well as those on the outside.But none of this matters as much as discovering the identity of the murderer before he can kill again.

This updated edition includes a special preview of Nocturnal Serenade, Book 2 of Nocturnal Lives.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is an outstanding first novel from an author I urge you to keep your eyes on, as Ms. Green has good facility with suspense, murder, and interpersonal affairs. --Shiny Book Review

About the Author

I'm a mother, daughter, writer and editor. In other words, I'm four people living in a single body. Mind you, it gets very crowded in here at times, especially when my characters decide they need to be noisy. You can find my short story, Bump in the Night, in Better Off Undead (DAW Books). I have other work out there making the rounds, waiting for the stars to align, etc.

Product Details

• File Size: 559 KB
• Print Length: 352 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1611360234
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Naked Reader Press; 2nd edition (March 3, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004QO9Z2K
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #330,443 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Urban Fantasy meets police procedural March 11, 2011

By Pamela A. Uphoff

Format:Kindle Edition

A brutal attack has awoken dorment abilities in a Dallas policewoman. But the uncertainties of her new existance don't change the urgent need to capture a vicious killer.

A well done urban fantasy, with realistic human doubts and hesitations. I especially liked Mac's desire to uphold the law, and her realization that she had entered a world where justice had to be meted out in such a way as to preserve the secrecy of her new abilities and the exisence of people like her and the killer.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun UF and police drama June 21, 2012

By C. Kelsey

Format:Kindle Edition

In this debut novel by Amanda S. Green the world of normal police life (if there is such a thing) and the abnormal newness of discovering that she's a shifter drops Mac Santos into a dangerous world a cat and wolf and human in between. Sometimes I felt that the changes to Mac's life weren't touched on as heavily as the narrative indicated it should, but that does not diminish from and excellent Urban Fantasy and cop-drama. If you're a fan of shifters at all, this book is definitely worth your time.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars very good clean read January 19, 2012

By VickiB

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I enjoyed the book and the story line that kept you turning pages in a hurry to get to the next one. I also like reading about smart, strong and well-rounded female leads and this book as all that and one with character. I am looking forward to the next book in the series called, Nocturnal Serenade. I know if it is as good as this one we all will be set with a "new" series that is along the lines of the ones found in the following authors: Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews, Maria Lima, Christine Feehan, & Eileen Wilks. I like the strings left undone to be picked up in the new book, they were not the kind that make you crazy waiting but subtle and left you with a grin to wait and see what the author does with them. Read the book if you like the above authors you will enjoy this book too! Thank you Amazon for introducing me to a new author with your free ebook listing~!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Strong urban fantasy/police procedural, with shapeshifters April 17, 2011

By Barb Caffrey VINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition

Amanda S. Green's NOCTURNAL ORIGINS is a very well-done urban fantasy. Detective Sargeant Mackenzie "Mac" Santos of the Dallas PD has been badly injured and has just returned to duty, only to find someone murdered in the same way she, herself, had been attacked. While she'd been able to fight off the rather large animal that had attacked her, someone else (a young woman) hadn't been able to, and now everyone's at the police department is in an uproar. Complicating matters, Mac has learned something about herself that she'd never expected to find, and doesn't know what to do about it.

It doesn't give much away for me to say that there may well be shapeshifters involved, and no one at the police department seems to know much about them. Mac, herself, knows nothing at all, yet must learn in a hurry if she's to protect her city the way she knows she must do. Mac is a very good character, and I enjoyed reading about her, especially her interactions with Patricia Collins, another police detective who becomes Mac's partner, and her complicated relationship with her Captain, Michael King.

NOCTURNAL ORIGINS is a great start in a new series from Ms. Green -- it's fast, occasionally shocking, often suspenseful and a quick read, yet there are some very good "home truths" underpinning the lot of it that remind me a whole lot of Kim Harrison (DEAD WITCH WALKING). I hope to read a great deal more in the future about Mac, Pat Collins and the rest, and enjoyed NOCTURNAL ORIGINS immensely.

Four stars, recommended.

Barb Caffrey

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good stuff! April 1, 2011

By wizardbear

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

What would you do if one day you found out that you were not who you thought you were? If your life changed suddenly, so much that the only thing you could do was remember the old saying - It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.

After one sudden, shocking revelation, Detective Sergeant Mackenzie Santos knows only confusion. And there's no time for her to be having problems of her own. She has her duty to do and a killer to catch.

This one's a real roller coast ride. And I love roller coasters, they're my favorite ride. More please!

WB

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasantly surprised June 18, 2013

By Holly P

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this story. I liked how the heroine was able cope and adjust to her change fairly rapidly. In so many stories I have read, have heroine drown in self pity before getting their act together. Try this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars More shapeshifters! June 1, 2013

By Nancy Proctor

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I like her take on shapeshifting and the society they developed to keep from being discovered by normal human beings.

3.0 out of 5 stars Good potential, but the writing is a bit stiff October 21, 2012

By Joel D. King

Format:Kindle Edition

I enjoy reading the urban fantasy genre, which is what led me to this book. Weres, shapeshifters, cops, homicide detectives - what's not to like? The story line was sound, character development meaningful enough that the prime players became distinct individuals in my mind, and the conclusion reasonable.

The book's greatest drawback is the writing style. I found the author's use of adjectives excessive, and the literary device she uses to portray complex emotional responses off-putting. For example, here we have the antagonist in a stressful moment at the end of the book:

"Wilcox jerked away from the hands holding him and stepped forward. His eyes blazed with a desperation that bordered on madness. He looked from Cassandra to the other members of the conclave and back. Then he straightened to his full height, all haughty determination."

In one paragraph he has been described as desperate, mad, haughty, blazing, and determined. Perhaps the most difficult element in graceful story telling is "show, don't tell". The book would have benefited from more of that.

More About the Author

I'm a mother, daughter, writer and editor. In other words, I'm four people living in a single body. Mind you, it gets very crowded in here at times, especially when my characters decide they need to be noisy. You can find my short story, Bump in the Night, in Better Off Undead (DAW Books). I have other work out there making the rounds, waiting for the stars to align, etc. During the day -- and often into the night -- I'm the senior executive editor (read chief bottle washer ;-p ) for Naked Reader Press.