It's definitely getting weird for Joanne Walker, aka Siobbhan Walkingstick, when one fourth of the Seattle police department doesn't show up for work. The officers have just gone to sleep and cannot be awakened. Physicians believe they are in a coma.

Using her shamanic powers, Joanne realizes the sleepers are being slowly drained of their life forces by some vampiric type of magic. As her investigation progresses, she realizes she's the source of the problem. She's got to move fast to save her friends and fellow officers -- and eventually, the world.

C.E. Murphy has definitely hit her stride in this book. While every one of the Walker Papers novels so far has been very good, Coyote Dreams shows a maturity in her voice. Murphy has a wry, humorous take on life and it often shows, lightening the darker moments depicted in her novel, sparking a bit of life and hopefulness into a sometimes bleak magic-blighted world. The first 20-plus pages are some of the funniest I have ever read and well worth the occasional re-read when there's time.

Coyote Dreams develops Joanne's character far more than the previous novels. This story is very much Joanne's personal "hero journey" into acceptance of her shamanic powers as well as solving the magical problem. Much of the story occurs in visions interacting with mythical creatures such as the raven, the coyote and other American Indian legends.

The plot is well done. If you're not paying attention, you may miss the point where Joanne slips into visions and dreams -- I did twice and had to re-read, but I think that is more due to the fact that I started at 10 p.m. and just finished at 5 a.m. Yes, the story was that compelling and I almost wish I had the willpower to only read it 5 pages at a time like the character in Succubus Blues so I could savor the experience more. (Trust me, that really would NOT work with the first chapter or so -- I don't know anyone who could do that!)

Murphy's world is definitely well realized and researched. Her depiction of Celtic and Native American legends are captivating especially in the melting pot -- as so many real people have intermixed and joined cultures in their own families.

Another positive about Murphy's writing is that her books stand alone. You don't have to wait a year to find out whether Joanne solves the current problem. Of course, there are threads that will continue throughout the series, such as Joanne's relationship to Captain Morrison and her friend, Gary, her septuagenarian cabdriver and mentor. While you do not have to read the first two books, Urban Shaman and Thunderbird Falls, you'd be missing out if you didn't. The whole series is very much worth reading.