Dead on the Delta - Review

     Dead on the Delta is the first book I've read by Stacey Jay.  I found it in the Frisco Library - the best library I've visited in a long time.  The cover art caught my attention - gloomy/supernatural background with a young fierce looking woman sitting down, staring at the reader.  The tag line "If you believe in fairies...run." made a promise (to me) of good supernatural fun.  After reading the back cover, I thought it would be a quick read along the lines of the Sookie Stackhouse novels - some mystery, some supernatural elements, and some romance.  It was actually a bit more complicated and thoughtful than the usual supernatural romance brain candy I expected.  The story is more supernatural mystery with a dab of romance. 
     The main character of the story is Annabelle.  She is a human that has a rare immunity to fairy bites.  Annabelle uses her immunity to help the government, usually by collecting fairy poop, eggs, and other remnants.  Annabelle's current love interest is Cane and when we first meet the two of them, they are collecting evidence from the body of a young girl that was recently kidnapped and murdered.  During the investigation, Annabelle has to deal with the return of her former lover, Hitch, and his FBI partner Stephanie.   Annabelle is not an ambitious, hard-working fairy poop collector and she has to deal with the consequences of occasionally being a drunk slacker.  The murdered young girl and the discovery of a breeze house (breeze is a new fairy drug) are the plot vehicles for most of the novel. 
     The love triangle of Annabelle, Cane, and Hitch is interesting as well is the interaction between Stephanie and Annabelle.  Annabelle is not a likable character. I don't relate to her world or her choices.  Does Annabelle care about the consequences of her actions?  I couldn't really tell.  Her ambivalence about life made me somewhat ambivalent towards her.  My desire for some fairy carnage kept me reading.  I enjoyed the world that Jay created with the mutant Fairies, but I would like to know more about what caused the mutations and how/why the Delta was the only area that seemed to have the mutated fairies.  To fully believe the angst that Annabelle feels at Hitch's return, I would like more back story and give that back story earlier in the novel.  I'd also like to know more about Cane and why he is so attracted to Annabelle.  What is it about her?  And, because I like zombies, I'd like to know more about people that are bitten by the fairies.  What really happens?  I'd like to SEE that.      
This is an interesting novel and I will read the second book in the series.  I recommend it if you enjoy supernatural mysteries with a bit of romance.  I do hope for more action, carnage, and back story in the 2nd novel.