Grave Beginnings is the first in R.R. Virdi’s Grave Report urban fantasy series. And, that cover is just perfect for a protagonist who jumps from body to body as he needs to in the series, so he’ll have a different face in each book. If it sounds odd, it’s perfect for fans of Simon R. Green. Monsters and the supernatural and a character whose purpose changes in the course of the first book. Vincent Graves, who doesn’t know his own identity, believes he’s to avenge someone who has been murdered by the supernatural, and then move on. By the end of the book, he realizes he’s actually trying to save people and help humanity.

Before I summarize Grave Beginnings, though, I’m going to include a Q&A that is available for this series. It will help readers decide if this series is for them.

Q: What is The Grave Report?
A:The Grave Report is a paranormal investigator series inspired by Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files and the show, Quantum Leap. It follows Vincent Graves, a soul murdered by the paranormal and forced to inhabit the bodies of others killed by monsters. He’s tasked with using their minds, memories, and bodies to find the monsters responsible and gank them. The series focuses heavily on creative twists on well-known and more obscure mythologies. For fans of a monster of the week vibe, this is for you.

Q:How should I read these case files?
A:Each novel in The Grave Report is written both to progress a series meta plot as well as serve as a standalone monster of the week read if you want. The series order is listed below, but you can read them however you want. Jump in and enjoy.

• Grave Beginnings
• Grave Measures
• Grave Dealings

Q:Will I enjoy this series?
A:If you love things like Supernatural, myths, magic, monsters, and investigator novels full of wit and charm, yes. You’ll have a blast reading these. The series placed as a finalist in the 2016 Inaugural DragonCon Dragon Awards under Best Fantasy (Paranormal) alongside urban fantasy authors, Jim Butcher and Larry Correia.

I’ve always thought Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files started out as a detective series that just happened to feature a wizard. Virdi’s series says, “An urban fantasy detective novel”. Urban fantasy and detective novels seem to fit together well. They both take place “down these mean streets”.

Vincent Graves has been doing this job so long, he no longer knows his own identity. In this case, as he has in the past, he comes to in a grave and has to force his way out of it. He heads for the closest church, to meet up with the man who assigns his task, a man who calls himself “Church”, and brands Graves’ arm with the amount of time he has to finish his assignment. And, he is given one or two small clues so he can learn the identity of his new body.

In this case, Vincent discovers he’s Norman Smith whose well-to-do lifestyle and clothes don’t match his job as curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Before he died, Norman was working in the Middle Eastern collection. But, Norman’s current appearance doesn’t quite match his ID. His current body is younger and about seventy-five pounds lighter than he was at one time. As Graves searches the museum, the deceased man’s memories start to come back, a sure sign that whatever killed him is nearby.

But, before Graves can uncover the supernatural being responsible for Norman Smith’s death, he has to deal with other creatures, a couple more deaths, and the destruction of an entire apartment building to fire as he tries to escape. He also attracts the attention of an FBI Special Agent, Camilla Ortiz. He’s lucky to have her as his partner in this fast-paced, explosive adventure.

Sarcasm, wry wit, smart-alecky comments. That’s my favorite kind of dialogue, and it appears in this book, as it does in some of my other favorite urban fantasies. I guess black humor is essential in dealing with monsters determined to kill you, especially supernatural ones. Grave Beginnings hit all the right elements for me as an urban fantasy fan. A great deal of mystery, that sarcasm, and a hero I can root for who is out to save the world. I’ve already checked out the second in the series.

R.R. Virdi’s website is http://rrvirdi.com/

Grave Beginnings by R.R. Virdi. (Kindle edtion), ASIN B00HIN97WO, 2013.

FTC Full Disclosure – I read a free Kindle edition.