Connor and Leo start working together again because people in the Weird, specifically around the Tangle, an area that's shady even by Weird standards, were disappearing, and those disappearances are followed by a bizarre blue light sweeping through the area. The acting Guildmaster, Ryan MacGoren, among others, is still trying to nail Connor and, as usual, Connor still wants to try and get the terrorist Bergin Vize. All the while, the black mass in Connor's head is making him want to do things he knows are questionable, at best. I have fallen in love with this series. Del Franco has a nice range of characters with some having very questionable morals----and others who appear questionable who are actually quite upright. It's a great blend of urban fantasy with reality. Imagine a primary character who's on disability! A word: You will need to read this series in order to have any understanding of what is happening and why. ( )

Rating: 3.0 - Like the rest of the series, the last 100 pages made the story for me.
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Uncertain Allies is the fifth book in the Conner Grey series by Mark Del Franco. It tells the story of Connor Grey a druid who once was a hot shot investigator for the Guildhouse, but now gets by as a part time investigator for the Boston PD because of his knowledge of the Fey and on disability payments. He lives in the Weird which is a decrepit Boston neighborhood where shunned Fey and other fairy folk from Ireland and Germany reside. Connor is an earth-born Fey, which means that he has never seen Fairie like his mentor Briallen and Meryl Dian.

He is a thorn in everyone’s side as he continues to chase a terrorist named Bergin Vize who has plans on starting a war between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. He wants to return to the land of Faerie that has been cut off to everyone since the Convergence hit 100 years ago and it appears he may have the support of both courts in his endeavor. *Convergence is when Faerie merged with the modern reality.

Connor has a dark mass in his head that seemingly has a mind of its own and thus causes Connor to be in the middle of some strange happenings including meeting and being called brother by a leaninsidhe who is a killer. The mass happened after he was struck by a spell backlash after fighting Vize. Connor is also on the top of Queen Maeve’s list of most hated individuals (next to the Elven King). She wants to have him arrested or worse because she blames Connor for all sorts of problems that have happened since he left the Guildhouse.

Under Queen Ceridwen, who was killed by Vize using the Truth Spear, plays a key part in this story and is the only one besides Connor who knows that she was betrayed by Maeve who did nothing when the dead broke out of TirNaNog and ended up in Boston. Ceridwen and Connor are linked by the Spear and their hatred for Vize and Maeve's betrayal.

The story picks up nearly 3 months after the events of Unperfect Souls with Connor now working with Eorla Kruge Elvendottir who has tried to unify the Celtic and Teutonic Fey. She has set up court in the Tangle, but so far, she has failed to appeal to their better senses in stopping the fighting and try to live peacefully together. Her cousin is the Elven King whose kingdom is in Germany. There are those in her own court who have undermined her attempts at preventing an all out war.

Connor tries to find out why people have disappeared and then turning up dead after seeing a blue flash. The answer goes back to Ceridwen and the Wild Hunt. Connor, as always, finds himself once again in the middle of everything that is happening in the city of Boston. His best friend and partner in investigating the Fey crimes, Homicide Detective Leonard Murdock, is coming to terms with the fact that his father is dead, and that is mother, Moira Cashel, was a Fey which makes him part Fey as well, and which explains Leo's body shield and Druid essence. Murdock’s family clearly blames Connor for everything that has happened since he had an affair with Amy Sullivan aka Moira when he was a teenager that ended up breaking up their marriage.

For the first 100 pages, I really didn’t care much for Connor with all his whiney, wallowing in self-pity and an attitude that was starting to rub everyone the wrong way, including his friend Joe the Flit who keeps telling him to get over it already.

Meryl Dian, the person who he may actually love, lies in a coma, and nobody knows if she will ever come back from it. Meryl received some sort of spell backlash and has been in a coma since working with Eorla to stop the war brewing in the Weird. Thankfully, Meryl does find a way back, and Connor realizes how much he truly does enjoy being with her. She also introduces him to the Man-Wolfs aka Vitnire who lead them to Vize.

The dead continue to be a problem after being trapped in Boston thanks once again to Connor’s ineptitude in closing to the doors to TirNaNog. He failed to ensure that all the dead returned before shutting the doors for good. Seriously, this guy was supposed to be a hot shot Guild Investigator, but all he has done over the course of this series is put others around him in danger. He is cashing in chips that his body can’t handle because everyone believes that he is as much a danger as the man he chases.

The one thing that anyone must realize before starting this series is this: Del Franco does a wonderful job of world building, but he also has a ton of secondary characters that you almost have to take notes so that you know who is who, and who is actually on Connors side. There are Seeliee and Unseelie who both hate Connor and it appears they are working together to bring him down for good. He has few friends, and those he does have, continue to tell him to becareful, something he hasn't a clue how to be because of his one track mind in killing Vize.

I would not recommend jumping into the middle of this series and than expect that you will understand all that has happened. Del Franco creates a monster of a back story that keeps growing as the series continues. The problem with this series for me is this; there really hasn’t been any resolution to certain story lines like Vize and the mass in his head. Hopefully, that will change soon.

Del Franco is also the author of the Laura Blackstone series.

Next book in series: Undone Deeds (January 2012) ( )

I really enjoy this series, but it also frustrates me. I could not put this book down, but still felt like the series hadn't made much progress after finishing it. I did feel that all the chess pieces are finally in position for the end game. Sometimes authors get too caught up in multi-book plot arcs, such as Connor's still mysterious black mass. In this book, Connor does finally get an answer of sorts, but it's wrapped up in existential technobable. The Wheel of the World turns, but evidently there's a gap. Oh, is that all? Connor does undergo a major shake-up regarding the mass after the climactic battle (these books always end with a climactic battle, and it's always the best part of the book). Connor gets something else in his head. *sigh*

What really kept me turning the pages was how all the political factions resolved into opposing forces, and readers finally see what (and who) all the sides are: Eorla in the Weird, The Elves, Maeve/the Guild, Ceridwen and the Dead. They all want to manipulate Connor to their own ends. Connor also finally dumps the whining "poor me, I lost my abilities" and becomes a contender. The mystery of the disappearing people is intimately tied into the political infighting, and he actually investigates like a real PI. Moreover, Murdock gets involved and the two become true allies and friends. I was also happy to see the return of Shay. I do love these characters.

Overall, this book satisfied enough that I am anxious for the next installment. Once again the ending was action-packed and fantastic, but also left readers hanging. I'd really like to see the black mass be resolved, and move onto some stand alone stories. This is an excellent, gritty urban fantasy, but waiting book after book for resolution is wearing extremely thin. I'm hooked on this series, but with so much always hanging, I'm unwilling to try the spin-off series set in the same world. ( )

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

Boston’s Weird is the setting for the latest Connor Grey urban fantasy featuring the former Guild investigator who lost his Druid powers and now ‘does favors’, as he puts it. It was instant love for me when I read about the magic wreaked city populated with shunned Fey including trolls, elves, and all types of Irish and German fairies. All of whom are fully integrated into the human world since the Convergence more than a century ago. It’s the kind of rich and dense world that urban fantasy junkies live for, and in this case, it softened the blow of a few shortcomings.

One of the bigger shortcomings was the action scenes, or lack there of. Even the showdown at the ending of UNCERTAIN ALLIES is about as action free as I’ve ever read in an urban fantasy. That’s really indicative of the type of character Connor Grey is. He’s not a fighter. He’d be willing to take up arms if the situation called for it, but he prefers to think his way out of tough situations. And not a lot ruffles him. He doesn’t have any real high or low emotional swings. He’s the definition of an even-keeled, easy going guy. In reality, you need those kind of people, in fiction, they can be a bit boring.

In addition to steady-as-a-rock Connor, the supporting cast is huge. So much so that I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. That confusion wasn’t helped by the fact that apart from Connor’s semi girlfriend Meryl, they didn’t really distinguish themselves. That could be due to the fact that I haven’t read the previous books, but even still.

Del Franco does do an amazing job of bringing new readers up to speed on the previous installments of the Connor Grey series in a nice concise opening and then continues to drop little reminders throughout UNCERTAIN ALLIES as to the significance or history whenever new characters popped up. Given the density of the worldbuilding, which again was excellent, I can see both old and new readers appreciating this.
Overall all, Connor Grey is a laid back guy with a lot of guilt who accepts the knocks he’s taken in life as his due and doesn’t complain. And that’s basically how UNCERTAIN ALLIES feels as a book. It’s a steady, solid read set in a very intriguing world with plenty of mystery in lieu of the usual urban fantasy adrenaline.

Sexual Content:
Kissing. References to homosexuality. ( )