This book was a fun quick read. A bit of a nostalgia trip, too. Who shops at malls these days? Who prizes a mink coat? Who can retire to a tropical island on $500,000? The book was mentioned in a reader review of Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff, and though I didn't think it was quite as good as the Huff book, I did enjoy it. ( )

Andy Westin is an ex-cop from a corrupt precinct looking to make a new start as a Shopping Mall Security Guard. Judy Cohen is the ex-wife of a lawyer trying to get her occult shop, the "Bellbookand Candle Shop", up and profitable. Heather Framel is a lonely, angry teenager who's mother's a drunk and who lives with a man who raped her daughter. Pauline is an octagenarian anthropologist, who's already had one stroke and who's just killing time until the next stroke puts her under. The Surfer is a small time drug dealer with ambitions far beyond his capabilities. Slick is a skater dude just looking to ride some gnarly concrete waves. I could go on and on with this litany of broken characters, but I'll stop now and save the other 90%. While no where near as overwhelming as George R. R. Martin, Cook manages to squeeze in way more characters than is absolutely necessary - and to me, at least, the extra characters come at the cost of humor (which is why I bought the book in the first place). In fact, to my way of thinking, there was only one really good joke in the whole book, and they used it as an intro bit.

The basic idea is: lost elfin talisman is being sought after by both elves and dragons. The talisman being lost has weakened the doorway between the elfin world and the human world allowing brownies, imps, and other vermin to cross into the human world and take up residence in the Black Oak Shopping Mall. The only thing that will return the situation to normal is the return of the Talisman. The only problem is that the magical creatures can't stay in the human world long enough to track down the Talisman and humans can't see it for what it is. Andy and Judy join forces and overcome negative feelings to find the talisman and right the wrongs.

Blah. For me, there was not enough humor - not enough suspension of disbelief - and the talisman was all too obvious. ( )