i loved the illustrations and the story itself. The characters were great and I really enjoyed the horror element in the book.

I haven't read the SPECTRA files novels, to which Smoke and Dagger was a prequel, but I liked the cover so I wanted to give this book a try even though I had no clue what to expect.

It set immediately after WW2 and as such there is a lot of talk about communists and other un-American activities. The main character is the first woman allowed into some kind of Freemason organization and send to investigate a character from another organization, because he likes redheads. There is a lot of talk of the occult and an endless supply of arcane occult artifacts, be it daggers, mirrors or otherwise. Thrown into the mix also is a secret organization investigation the paranormal which is so secret, even its own members don't know what the acronym stands for.

While it was in fact an easy and not unpleasant read, I found the pacing a bit odd at times and I missed something that could give it that little bit extra. I only found out in the acknowledgements that this story is set some generations before the main series, but for now I'm undecided whether to continue with the main series.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Prequel to the SPECTRA FILES, a series I could hope will continue unto the End of Time...what is more adventurous than hard-core Lovecraftiana? 1948--in the post-WWII era, a young Barnard College anthropology student on her own search for truth is recruited into a secret wisdom society to spy on a West Coast rocket engineer, a sort of California version of Aleister Crowley, determined on opening a portal to the Great Old Ones. He must be stopped, before the end of the world As We Know It...


Douglas Wynne again delivers a story I can't put down. Just ponder "What If?"

Catherine Littlefield is a college student. While researching for her studies at a museum, she takes a break to sit in front of a meteorite where she experiences weird energies from it. An elderly man is also sitting there on the other side watches Catherine. Catherine has always been intrigued by the occult nd secret societies. When the man turns out to be a curator of the museum, she is willing to do a task to become a member of a secret society. She is to spy on a man named Jack Parsons who they believe is trying to summon the old gods to the present day. Jack is a rocket scientist and an occult master. He has been working with an Iraqi refugee whose name is Kamen. When Jack notices Catherine’s writing on the beach, he invites her into his house to have a chat. As the hour grows late, Jack tells her she can spend the night. Kamen protest as he doesn’t trust her. Will she spend the night? There are two government agents doing their own investigation and are curious about Catherine spending time with Jack. Will Catherine be spending the night? Will she be successful in her task?

This is a fast paced novel with a few surprises in it. It held my attention as I follow Catherine’s decisions on what actions to take. It is quite suspenseful and fascinating.

I liked the premise and ideas. The execution, though, was lacking (especially the final I can't spoiler). That being said, it's a quick read, rather entertaining and interesting enough to make me consider reading the series.

The book showed up in a recommended list for me, so I decided to give it a whirl. The concept is interesting... A young college student gets initiated into a normally male-only secret society that is intent on stopping members of another group from summoning some Lovecraftian baddies into this plane of existence. Based either in 1949 or 1952 (one date was inferred and the other spelled out), it has quite a bit of Cold War/Red Scare bent to it. Along the way she gets caught up in another organization called SPEAR, which I think is related to the SPECTRA trilogy that this is supposed to be a prequel for.

The premise of the book was good, but the execution of the book was a bit clunky. It didn't feel like it was occurring in the timeframe that it was supposed to be. The dialog seemed too modern and the attitudes between men and women were too open.

<spoiler>
The biggest issue I had with the book was a rather huge plot hold in the leadup to the penultimate scene where the lead character shoots one of the cultists. Several pages earlier, the book talks about how she spent days loading, unloading, and becoming familiar with a gun that she was given. During the climax of the book, she shoots one of the cultists. Two chapters later, they discuss that the gunshots were fake and the lead character was left to believe that the cultist was dead because of charges and chicken blood.</spoiler>

The book was a quick read with a good premise; I just don't think it is going to send me on the search to pick up any other books in this series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.