Relationships are at the heart of this book: from mentor-protégée partnerships to the bond among siblings and friends and finally to the growing intimacy between colleagues on the cusp of becoming lovers. Gilman spends a good deal of time exploring — and subverting — the trope of the fated-to-happen relationship. Readers will find this to be an engaging and fast-paced read.

Bonnie Torres, an investigator with PUPI (Private, Unaffiliated Paranormal Investigations), has worked one too many days in a row. She needs time to rest and recharge her magical batteries. So, when she’s invited to spend a few days in Philadelphia with Benjamin Venec, she jumps at the chance. Ben may be her boss, but they also have a magical bond that they need to figure out how to live with. However, no sooner does Bonnie arrive than they’re called in by the local police to consult on a couple of murders, which quickly turns into a wide-ranging investigation of a string of serial murders that spans decades. With the rest of the team on-site, Bonnie and Ben need to temporarily back-burner their personal issues and track down the perpetrators of these crimes before someone else dies. –Romantic Times, 4 Stars

The final volume of Gilman’s Vineart War trilogy is both compulsively readable and full of complicated characterization… The constraints of Jerzy’s world become apparent as the story builds to a climax, which is both unexpected and utter perfection. — Romantic Times, 4 1/2 Stars

Available today : Weight of Stone (Book 2) in paperback.

Gilman’s second Paranormal Scene Investigations is a fast, compelling read. Following Bonnie’s POV is fantastic, and the secondary characters are equally well drawn, especially Pietr and Sharon. Bonnie’s intelligence and perceptiveness really make this book go and readers will root for her and the team to solve their investigation. Gilman handles an extremely sensitive subject with grace and compassion.

Bonnie Torres and the rest of the PUPI team have been called out to the scene of a horrific crime – a ki-rin’s human companion was attacked, and the attackers ended up dead or gravely injured by the ki-rin (a unicorn-like creature, with the attendant purity requirement). Things are always more complicated than they appear on the surface, especially with tensions between the human and fatae heating up. Also heating up is the relationship between Bonnie and her boss, Benjamin Venec – and since he’s her boss, that may not be exactly the brightest idea either of them has ever had. — Romantic Times, 4 1/2 Stars, Top Pick

Gilman follows 2010’s Hard Magic with another winning mix of snappy writing and a fun and intelligent story about crime-solving magic users. Bonita Torres loves working with Private Unaffiliated Paranormal Investigations (PUPI), but the team’s latest case, the attempted rape of a magical ki-rin’s human companion, has her on edge. The ki-rin killed one assailant and partially disemboweled the other, and everything looks simple until the survivor claims she was used as bait. Human/nonhuman relations are already unstable and could explode if PUPI can’t figure out what really happened. Riding on the case are a woman’s reputation, a man’s death, and the future of PUPI. Grabbing readers from the get-go, Gilman delivers style and substance with layers of mystery, science, politics, romance, and old-fashioned investigative work mixed with high-tech spellcraft. –Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Gilman’s second Vineart War offering is a fast-paced and tightly plotted tale that picks up right where the first book left off. Jerzy is a complex and likable hero who is loyal and intelligent. The magical system is highly original. Adventure fantasy fans will enjoy this series.

Vineart apprentice and former slave Jerzy is on the run after being accused of apostasy by the Washers, the religious sect of the Vin Lands. Accompanied by runaway noble Mahault, novice trader Ao, and Kainam, the named heir of the vanished island of Atakus, Jerzy has only begun to trace the source of the taint when he is called home to account for his actions. Unbeknownst to Jerzy and his friends, this is just the beginning of the fight for the soul of the Vin Lands.

–Romantic Times, 4 Stars

Available in paperback: Flesh and Fire: Book One of The Vineart War

This is a strong start to a new series. Bonnie is an interesting narrator — more naïve than some of Gilman’s other protagonists, but just as capable and intelligent. The supporting cast is also fascinating. The plot is engaging and compelling, but remains a smidge unresolved, perhaps purposefully. Fans of Gilman’s other novels in this setting will definitely enjoy this volume, while new readers may find some of the worldbuilding confusing, though not overly so. Using the same setting as her Retrievers novels, Gilman looks at the world of Talent from a different perspective, this time through the eyes of Bonnie Torres, an investigator with the fledgling PUPI — Private, Unaffiliated, Private Investigators — organization. Bonnie and the team are new to the world of forensic investigation involving Talent, and their first case will stretch them and their Talents to their limits. After an apparent double suicide, the victims’ daughter hires PUPI to find the truth — no matter what it may be. –Romantic Times, 4 Stars

Spinning off a minor character from the Retrievers books (Staying Dead, etc.), Gilman launches an entertaining new series set in her Cosa Nostradamus world of magic-using Talented humans. Following up on a mysterious job lead, college grad Bonita Torres joins the Private Unaffiliated Paranormal Investigations (PUPI), a freelance CSI-style unit for Talent-related crimes. The “puppies” refine and practice spells until they get their first big case: an apparent double suicide. As they follow the evidence, trail and interrogate suspects, and defend themselves against attacks, the investigators develop comfortable and engaging team dynamics and create the field of forensic magic. Gilman’s deft plotting and first-class characters complement her agile blend of science and spell craft, and readers will love the Mythbusters-style fun of smart, sassy people solving mysteries through experimentation, failure, and blowing stuff up. –Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

With a unique, pleasingly consistent magic system based on the production and consumption of wine, urban fantasist Gilman (the Retrievers series) turns a standard coming-of-age tale into something wholly new. Young Jerzy, a vineyard slave, possesses the rare and extraordinary ability of the Vinearts, magicians who create spellwines from the most potent grapes. When someone begins sabotaging the fields of the traditionally reclusive winemakers, it is up to Jerzy and his master to save their way of life. A slow build of tension as Jerzy progresses from slave to student to spy keeps the reader engaged without any need for frenetic fight scenes. The tale is dominated by vivid, absorbing characters, and Jerzy’s powerful narrative voice makes his joys and sorrows dramatic, authentic and potent. This intoxicating high fantasy will satisfy oenophiles and bibliophiles alike. –Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Also, see A Potent Vintage: PW talks with Laura Anne Gilman

In a world once ruled by mage-princes who nearly destroyed it, magic now resides in the hands of the Vineart Masters, who have the ability to cast spells through wine of their own making. When an unknown evil threatens to destroy the vines, the key to saving the world lies in the magic of Vineart apprentice Jerzy, provided he can learn to break centuries-old traditions.

VERDICT This launch of a new trilogy by the author of the Retrievers urban fantasies (Blood from Stone) achieves an extraordinary power from its elegant storytelling and unique magical philosophy. Offering one of the most original approaches to fantasy adventure; highly recommended for all fantasy fans. –Library Journal, Starred Review