Running in the Dark by Regan Summers (Night Runner #1)
October 29, 2012
Urban Fantasy
Carina Press

Reviewed by Mandi

First let me start by saying I didn’t realize this is the second book, or maybe it’s better to say the first full book in this series. Don’t Bite the Messenger is a previous novella and I think if I had read it, I might have understood this world a little better. There is a lot of info dumping at the beginning of this book as the author sets up the world. It made it lag for me. Sydney has moved from Alaska to Chile, and has had to start over as a vampire runner (or courier). With a turf war up in Alaska, the Master has stayed up there, leaving Sydney sneaking out with many assuming she is dead. She is in Chile now with her boyfriend and the Master’s proxy, Malcolm. Now Sydney is the new girl, and struggling to find her place among the other couriers. The vampires use humans as runners as the vamps powers wreak havoc on technology.

Sydney has assumed a new identity to hide from those she knew in Alaska, but also changes up her appearance nightly, never wanting a dangerous vampire to be able to track her. Her job entails delivering packages and getting signatures, but with vampires you never know what you will encounter.  Things are not settled in Chile though. A man named Richard Abel was the violent vampire behind the vampire coup in Alaska, and by circumstances, he knows Sydney isn’t dead, so Sydney keeps her eyes open at all times. Malcolm has assumed power, but it is a very unstable atmosphere.

This book has a feeling of an ongoing story. Very much an urban fantasy feel. I enjoyed Sydney as she is wading through murky new territory. She must learn how to work with her new coworkers and how to navigate her relationship with Malcolm. She is tough and I liked reading her point of view.

Malcolm is very much a mystery to me. I liked what I saw, but we don’t see a ton of him. I feel like I don’t have a super good grasp of who he really is and how they really feel about each other. These two have to keep their relationship on the down low because human couriers and vampires are not suppose to date. These two have some struggles and secrets in their relationship – I appreciated that it is not perfect and they have issues to work through, although I wish their romance had been a little more prominent.

As I mentioned earlier, it was hard for me to grasp this world. I was a little confused as to why Malcolm and Sydney were in Chile to begin with and some events that take place made me scratch my head. But as I read, things did start to fall into place. I like that the vampires are creepy and not trust-worthy.

If you do want to try this one, I think you should start with the novella.

Rating: C+

Recent Reviews:
The Book Pushers – B+
Urban Fantasy Investigations – 4/5
Red Hot Books – B-
Scooper Speaks – 5/5
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