Mini-Review: That Thing at the Zoo by James R. Tuck

Title: That Thing at the Zoo
Author: James R. Tuck
Series: Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter #0.5
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 12/27/11
Reviewed by: Sara
Summary:

Shredding monsters is his stock and trade. He sniffs them out, tracks them down, and corners them. End of story. But when the tables are turned, expect the unexpected...

Knowing his enemy is a rule Deacon Chalk swears by. But he's never seen anything like whatever is leaving the Atlanta Zoo's most dangerous predators bloodless, skinned, and hanging high in treetops. And he’s only got till sunrise to keep it from turning the entire city into a slaughterhouse. Now Deacon is in zoo lockdown with a handful of staffers to save. His zookeeper backup has more guts than monster-hunting experience. And the only chance Deacon has to run this thing to unholy ground is to risk unleashing his darkest, most uncontrollable instincts...

Mini-Review: This short story was a great introduction into Deacon Chalk's world. It was also very unique that the paranormal creature in the story was attacking large animals at the zoo instead of people. Although the story was fairly short, it never felt rushed. I learned a nice amount about Deacon before jumping into the first novel of the series. There weren't many other characters besides Deacon, but the few secondary characters were interesting as well. The cover is a bit simple, but the colors make it stand out. And I really liked how they used the same font as book one because it gave them some continuity.

Plot: 3.5 Stars
Pace: 4 Stars
Characters: 3.5 Stars
Cover: 3 Stars
Overall: 3.5 Stars

Disclosure: I received an eARC from the author for review.