Review - Industrial Magic

Title: Industrial Magic
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publishing Date: 2004
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Warm

Industrial Magic is book four in Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Underworld series. It is the second book where Paige Winterbourne is the narrator. In this story Paige teams up with Lucas, her sorcerer boyfriend to investigate the murder of a runaway teenage witch. After flying down to Miami where the murder took place, they discover that there has been more than one murder. It seems the killer has been targeting Cortez Cabal employees’ teenage children. Lucas and Paige ship Savannah off with Jeremy, Clayton and Elena to keep her safe. Lucas is the named Cortez Cabel CEO, only he refuses to acknowledge his position because he is at odds with his father. Now, in order to find a vicious killer he is working with his father, which rebels against everything he stands for. At least with Paige by his side, as a mediator, he can get through it.

Kelley Armstrong continues to write a fascinating paranormal book that adds intrigue to this already unique series. This time Paige and Lucas meet more interesting characters as they try and figure out who is behind these horrible killings. Along the way, Cassandra, a 300 year old vampire and Jamie Vegas, a Necromancer with her own TV show, help aide Paige and Lucas with the case. Both characters add to the world and never come across one dimensional. That is the true strength of this series. The characters are all very well developed; even down to the minor characters who only appear for a brief time.

Lucas is great in this book. I think readers finally get to know the true Lucas and learn so much more about him than they did in Dime Store Magic. His strength of character really comes out when dealing with the different Cabels. I love how he is not afraid to voice his opinions, or defend Paige – even to his family. What makes this even more appealing is that when people first see Lucas they automatically write him off as nobody. That he is just another average Joe, pushing pencils in a cheap suit. Boy, does he have them fooled. Everyone it seems except for Paige and his father.

Lucas and Paige are good together. I like them as a couple. I wish that Paige would have come to her senses a little sooner about Lucas. But she needed time to work through her feelings for him. Paige is a great narrator. She is a good person with high ideals. I like that she is a nice person, but can confront people and get mean if she has to. I like how she handles Cassandra when Cassandra is being rude. Paige isn’t mean about it, but she isn’t going to take anything lying down either. I really enjoyed this addition to the Women of the Underworld series and I plan to continue to read the next book Haunted.