In Cry Wolf we finally get to see more of the members of the werewolf pack who fostered coyote-shifting Mercy Thompson during her youth. I had been intrigued by several of the characters from the brief glimpses in the early Mercy books and I've been eagerly awaiting more of Charles and Anna since I read their short story in the On the Prowl anthology.

If like me you've read these too, you'll have a head start reading Cry Wolf because we've already had glimpses of Bran the Marrock (alpha to the alpha's) of North America, and his sons, Samuel, who only has a bit part here since he's headed off to invade Mercy's home, and Charles, who is a werewolf but also has magic from his sharman mother. And you'll have already met Anna and know that, while she is not another Mercy incarnation, she is an extremely interesting combination of vulnerability and strength and has a rare power coveted by wolf packs everywhere. But if you're unfamiliar with the Mercy books or the short story don't despair, Briggs does a perfectly fine job of bringing in all the significant bits into this story so you won't be totally lost and confused if you just start here, just be patient -it's all here if you keep reading.

The story starts out with Bran retrieving Anna and a wounded Charles from Chicago and give us a brief glimpse of Anna's former pack just to let us know what she's escaping. But when she reaches Charles' Montana home everything is not all hearts and flowers, though their wolves have already bonded its going to take a bit for Anna's human side to catch up, especially when communication is not a strong point for either of the leads – Anna because hiding has been the only way she's survived and Charles because even though he's hundreds of year old, as his father's execu­tioner/enforcer he's been solitary, feared by all of the other werewolves. And the `honeymoon' is going to be an odd one because Charles' father needs the still healing Charles to investigate a human death and subsequent attack on another human that appears to be the work of a werewolf and Bran decides that Anna is to accompany Charles on the hunt to find the rogue. But there is a reason why Bran is Marrock, besides being older than dirt, he is pretty savvy and this physical journey into the wilderness for Charles and Anna may be just what is needed to build Anna's strength and confidence and to cement her bond with Charles, that is if they survive the unexpected danger that is waiting for them in the snowy wilderness.

Though it has some romantic elements, Cry Wolf doesn't just focus on Anna and Charles and their relationship. Briggs has several great characters making significant contributions to this story and she has shifted from the first person voice of her Mercy books into a third person narrative which works very effectively to keep us in the loop so that we get to know the nuances and inner thoughts of all these important players. Along with Charles and Anna and Bran, a damaged old wolf Asil has a fascinating back story that is the catalyst for much of the action and a rogue Walter, with his own tormented past, also has a key part to play. And though we only get to see a small part of Bran's pack in this book, we've been told that Anna's powers are sorely needed by many of the members who walk the edge of sanity and wildness, so I am sure that Anna has her work cut out for her as her story continues in the next books.

I thoroughly enjoyed Cry Wolf, I just loved this journey into another part of Briggs' Mercy-universe. So you can bet that the rest of the Alpha and Omega books are going to be on my must buy list as soon as the links come up. I can't wait!