The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Murder Mystery5 Comments

Publisher: Orbit (Trade Paperback – 26 November 2024)

Series: The Echo Archives – Book One

Length: 389 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Take a bold leap through various time loops with one of the more exciting and clever fantasy novels of 2024, The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso.

Melissa Caruso is a very talented author who has been producing brilliant female-led fantasy fiction since her debut in 2017.  Starting with her outstanding Swords and Fire trilogy (The Tethered Mage, The Defiant Heir and The Unbound Empire) and continuing with her sequel Rooks and Ruins trilogy, Caruso made a big impact the first several years of career, and her writing has only gotten stronger since.  As such, I made it a big priority to get my hands on her 2024 novel, The Last Hour Between Worlds, which I had the pleasure of reading at the start of this year.  The first book in the author’s new The Echo Archives series, The Last Hour Between Worlds sets up a cool new fantasy series with a murder mystery twist behind it and some great story ideas.

Plot Synopsis:

A whip-smart adventure fantasy packed with rival guilds, reality-bending magic, and sapphic pining, The Last Hour Between Worlds is the brilliant launch of a new series from David Gemmell Award-nominated author, Melissa Caruso.

Kembral Thorne is spending a few hours away from her newborn, and she’s determined to enjoy herself at this party no matter what. But when the guests start dropping dead, Kem has no choice but to get to work. She is a Hound, after all, and she can’t help picking up the scent of trouble.

She’s not the only one. Her professional and personal nemesis, notorious burglar Rika Nonesuch, is on the prowl. They quickly identify what’s causing the a mysterious grandfather clock that sends them down an Echo every time it chimes. In each strange new layer of reality, time resets and a sinister figure appears to perform a blood-soaked ritual.

As Kem and Rika fall into increasingly macabre versions of their city, they’ll need to rely on their wits—and each other—to unravel the secret of the clock and save their home. 

The Last Hour Between Worlds was a particularly elaborate and compelling read that had me hooked from the start and kept dragging me along, much like its characters were dragged down through death and echoes.  Sharp, intense and featuring a ton of unique world-building, The Last Hour Between Worlds was a bold read that cleverly sets up a great new fantasy series.

I had a brilliant time with The Last Hour Between Worlds, as Caruso features a complex narrative with compelling stakes that proved hard to put down.  Starting off with a good introduction to the protagonist, Kembral Thorne, a nearly retired Hound and expert at travelling through the various arcane Echoes that exists under her city, and several other key characters as they are entertained at a party held by a prominent city politician.  It doesn’t take long for the action to kick off as several dark denizens from the Echoes arrive at the party, determined to kill certain guests and drag the entire gathering down into the reality below.  Dragged along with it, Kembral finds herself stuck in a dark time loop which only she remembers thanks to an interaction with a mysterious grandfather clock.  Forced to watch her friends and colleagues brutally murdered and dropped into a deeper Echo with each variation of the loop, Kembral seeks a way to stop the recurring murders and ensure that everyone comes out alive.

The plot goes in some interesting directions as The Last Hour Between Worlds continues, and it soon becomes apparent that Kembral and the rest of the humans are caught up in a deadly power struggle between the Empyrean, the masters of the Echoes, who are using this event as a key piece in their games.  Forced to team up with the only other person who can remember events, her nemesis and potential love interest, Rika Nonesuch, the two work through various iterations of the time loop, figuring out more clues about the event and trying knock all the competing Empyrean out of the time loop before the final chime of the clock.  This results in an entertaining, exciting and complex storyline, which Caruso sets up extremely well.  The blend of human and magical intrigues that the protagonists are forced to navigate allows for a very compelling story, and I loved all the cool twists that emerge, as well as the deeper personal struggles between Kembral and Rika.  It all leads up to the big conclusion at the final Echo, as the two desperately fight to ensure everyone survives.  I felt that Caruso set up an excellent ending for The Last Hour Between Worlds, especially as this story is wrapped up in a satisfying manner, while also hinting at some more dark adventures to come.

I really enjoyed how cleverly The Last Hour Between Worlds came together.  The slick blend of unique fantasy elements, a cool time-loop mechanism, and the layers of intrigue surrounding events was particularly impressive, and I really got hooked on the story because of how well these elements were utilised.  The time-loop part of the book was especially great, and the way in which Caruso kept reframing the story in each successive Echo ensured that you were constantly on your feet and you never quite knew what was going to happen next.  The underlying setting and magic of The Last Hour Between Worlds was also quite clever, as Caruso envisioned an elaborate array of alternating dimensions and dark creatures that mirror the humans above in twisted ways that the protagonists need to overcome and bargain with.  While I think that some of the elements of the setting could have perhaps been explored in a little more detail before the major events of the plot kicked off, for the most part readers can come in and completely follow what is happening in the plot without any issues.  The resulting action, well-hidden twists, and cool character interactions really enhance The Last Hour Between Worlds’ already compelling narrative, and you won’t be able to turn away from Caruso’s new fantasy adventure.

The final thing I want to talk about were the great characters featured within The Last Hour Between Worlds, with the focus primarily being around the heated pairing of Kembral Thorne and Rika Nonesuch.  A fun case of attracted opposites with lots of history, the law-abiding Kembral and the roguish thief Rika are the perfect foils for each other, and I love their heated interactions.  Despite their initial mistrust, the two soon begin to work together to survive and find their old feelings rekindling.  Caruso nicely slow burns their inevitable romantic attachment, , and they must work through a lot of mistrust, hidden secrets, and their own perceived slights to get there.  The rest of the cast is also interesting and entertaining, and you get quite attached to them as the time loops continue, even though some wind up temporarily dead.  Several are these characters are slated to have bigger roles in the upcoming sequel to The Last Hour Between Worlds, and I cannot wait to see what happens there.  Throw in some excellent dark mystical figures in the Empyrean, who act as either antagonists or shadowy figures on the sidelines, and this was a stacked set of characters that Caruso clearly has some intriguing plans for.

With a slick plot, a great mixture of fantasy adventure of murder mystery hijinks, and some entertaining characters, The Last Hour Between Worlds was an outstanding novel from Melissa Caruso, who continues to showcase why she is one of fantasy fictions most inventive rising stars.  Serving as a great starting point to a new series, The Last Hour Between Worlds comes highly recommended, and I loved its powerful and complex plot.  I honestly cannot wait to see where Caruso takes The Echo Archives series next, although the upcoming sequel, The Last Soul Among Wolves, sounds particularly awesome.

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Waiting on Wednesday – Born of an Iron Storm by Anthony Ryan

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Waiting on Wednesday8 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  For this somewhat late Waiting on Wednesday, I check out the awesome upcoming book from Born of an Iron Storm by Anthony Ryan.

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As some of you who are familiar with my blog would have seen, I just published a long-overdue review of the awesome 2024 novel, A Tide of Black Steel by Athony Ryan.  A sequel to the authors previous Covenant of Steel novels (The Pariah, The Martyr, and The Traitor), A Tide of Black Steel was one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2024, and I have been meaning to put a review of it up for a while.

As I had an outstanding time finally writing up my review for A Tide of Black Steel, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to review the intriguing upcoming sequel, Born of an Iron Storm.  The second book in the author’s Age of Wrath series, Born of an Iron Storm is set for release in late August 2025 and will continue after the impressive cliffhanger that Ryan left his previous novel on.

Plot Synopsis:

From the international bestselling author Anthony Ryan comes the spectacular second novel in a new epic new fantasy trilogy inspired by Norse mythology.

The Sister Queens have fallen and Ascarlia lies naked before the storm. A Nihlvarian plan, years in the making, has seen Ascarlia’s enemy seize the capital Skar Magnol. Now the invaders look to the wealthy port city of Olversahl to complete their conquest.

But there is hope.

Elvine is trapped at the heart of the conspiracy, yet her role in the new government offers the chance to plan resistance from within. She must tread a fine line between loyalty and secret disobedience, knowing the smallest mistake will mean her death.

Meanwhile, Thera has secured the Outer Islands, but her loyalist forces alone cannot liberate Skar Magnol. She must seek allies to have any chance of defeating the Nihlvarian threat. But her greater challenge will be to overcome her own doubts and become the leader she needs to be.

If she fails, Ascarlia will fall.

And far away across the ocean, Felnir embarks on a bloody path towards kingship whilst to the north, Ruhlin seeks escape from the tyrannical realm of Nihlvar where the mysterious Vortigurn holds sway.

Continuing the epic tale begun in A Tide of Black Steel, Born of an Iron Storm is a compelling saga of bloody retribution, deadly intrigue, and desperate courage.  

This is a very awesome sounding sequel, and it looks like Ryan is going to expand on a lot of very cool plot points in Born of an Iron Storm.  Set to continue with the four same perspective characters from A Tide of Black Steel, Born of an Iron Storm will likely start with several separate narrative threads as these great characters each try to navigate on from the dark places that they finished the last book in.  I deeply enjoyed all four of these separate, character focused stories in A Tide of Black Steel, and I look forward to seeing how each character survives their last misadventures and continues to try to fight back against the mysterious new enemy.

Of the four I think the perspective I am most looking forward to in Born of an Iron Storm is that of Elvine, a young scribe caught up in the middle of a successful conspiracy to destroy Ascarlia from within.  A lot of the reasons I am keen to see Elvine’s perspective is her recently revealed connection to the protagonist from the original Covenant of Steel novels, and it will be interesting to see where Ryan takes her familial story going forward, especially as she tries to survive alongside her adventurous half-brother, who those familiar with Ryan’s previous series will know has quite a dark legacy behind him.  Elvine’s chapters also have the potential to be some of the more intrigue and mystery laden as the protagonist attempts to rebel while forced to live in service of those who want to destroy her people, and I cannot wait to see how that blows up in her face.

While Elvine’s chapters have a good chunk of my interest based on the synopsis above, the rest of the perspective chapters in Born of an Iron Storm have a lot of potential as well, and I can see all of them being quite impressive in their own way.  Thera’s chapters will likely be the most militarised, as she attempts to fight back a massive invading fleet, so expect a lot of cool longship-on-longship or shield wall combat there.  Felnir’s narrative will likely be the most frustrating, as the young captain seeks glory and power in all the wrong places, although I feel there will be some intricate lore in these chapters.  Finally, the young escaping pit fighter Ruhlin will likely have a dark tale of survival and finding oneself in his storylines, and it will be interesting to see how this monster survives on the run.  All four of these character perspectives sound extremely compelling, and I am anticipating that there will be some excellent crossover the further we get into Born of an Iron Storm’s story, which should make for a particularly incredible novel.

Due to how damn impressive Anthony Ryan’s last four books have been, there is no way that I will be missing out on Born of an Iron Storm later this year.  Sure to be filled with complex characters, great action and some elaborate storytelling, Born of an Iron Storm has so much potential, and I have no doubt at all that it will be another five-star read from this great author.  As such, Born of an Iron Storm is one of my most anticipated books coming out in the second half of the year, and I cannot wait to see how Ryan continues his exceptional Age of Wrath series.

A Tide of Black Steel by Anthony Ryan

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Fantasy, Five-Star Books11 Comments

Publisher: Orbit (Audiobook – 24 September 2024)

Series: Age of Wrath – Book One

Length: 19 hours and 20 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

After finally getting something up for We Solve Murders, I continue trying to publish long-overdue reviews for some of the better books of 2024, including the highly captivating fantasy novel A Tide of Black Steel by Anthony Ryan.

Veteran fantasy author Anthony Ryan is an author I have been really learning to enjoy in recent years, especially as I fell in love with his epic The Covenant of Steel series.  Following a young rogue who takes on the mantle of a warrior, spy, strategist and most importantly a scribe throughout his complicated and danger-filled life, The Covenant of Steel novels were an impressive collection of books loaded with great characters, a compelling chronicle style and some brilliant twists.  All three books in the series, including The Pariah (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), The Martyr (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022), and The Traitor (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023), were instant five-star reads from me, and I had so much fun getting through them.  As such, I was very excited to find out about Ryan’s new novel, A Tide of Black Steel, especially as it serves as a sequel to The Covenant of Steel series.  The first book in the author’s new Age of Wrath series, A Tide of Black Steel sets up a mighty fantasy tale that I had a brilliant time with.

Plot Synopsis:

From the international bestselling author Anthony Ryan comes the spectacular first novel in a new epic new fantasy trilogy inspired by Norse mythology. A new age has dawned. An age of blood and steel. An age of wrath.

The land of Ascarlia, a fabled realm of bloodied steel and epic sagas, has been ruled by the Sister Queens for centuries. No one has dared question their rule. Until now.

Whispers speak of longships of mysterious tattooed warriors, sailing under the banners of a murderous cult of oath-breakers long thought extinct. A tide of black steel that threatens to vanquish all in its path.

Thera of the Blackspear, favoured servant of the Sister Queens, is ordered to uncover the truth. As Thera sails north, her reviled brother, Felnir, sets out on his own adventure. He hopes to find the Vault of the Altvar – the treasure room of the gods – and win the Sister Queens’ favour at his sister’s expense.

Both siblings – along with a brilliant young scribe and a prisoner with a terrifying, primal power – will play a part in the coming storm.

The Age of Wrath has begun.

A Tide of Black Steel was another outstanding novel by Anthony Ryan that provided readers with a cool and layered fantasy adventure.  Cleverly expanding the fantasy universe introduced in The Covenant of Steel books, A Tide of Black Steel brings together several interesting storylines into one exciting read with a very different tone to the author’s previous novels.  Powerful, action-packed, and featuring some interesting twists and turns, A Tide of Black Steel gets a full five-star rating from me, and it was one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2024.

I really enjoyed how this cool novel turned out, especially as Ryan introduced an ambitious and powerful new narrative that combines bold, seafaring adventures with some complex world-building to create an outstanding read.  Serving as a loosely connected sequel to the author’s The Covenant of Steel books and told through the eyes of four compelling protagonists, the plot of A Tide of Black Steel breaks off into several divergent threads that each have their own charm while also individually exploring a dangerous new enemy threatening the world.  These perspective characters include Ruhlin, a young man who is captured for his mysterious magical abilities and must try to escape from dangerous new masters who want to use his gifts in the fighting ring.  At the same time, Thera of the Blackspear, an agent of the Sister Queens of Ascarlia, investigates a mysterious series of raids against Ascarlia’s borders, travelling to the most isolated islands of the nation.  Finally, Thera’s brother, Felnir, and the young scholar Elvine, are tasked with trying to find an ancient treasure horde and the dark secrets it contains.

Apart from Thera and Felnir’s perspective chapters, which are strongly linked for much of the book, these major storylines are kept mostly separate from each other, allowing for three separate adventures to occur simultaneously.  All these arcs were equally interesting and provided some cool alternate perspective and themes to the book, with Ruhlin’s being a dark coming-of-age plot, Thera’s being a brutal series of battles and investigation, while the combined plot of Felnir and Elvine was a great mixture of exploration, redemption and secrets.  While I was a little more drawn to Felnir and Elvine’s plotlines at times, primarily because of a couple of secretive supporting characters that hinted at a great connection between this book and The Covenant of Steel series, I honestly had a brilliant time with all the storylines, and they combined nicely into one compelling and cohesive overall plot.  All these storylines progress nicely, amping up the stakes and enhancing the adventure until they reach some thrilling conclusions where some big reveals come to pass.  While I saw a few of the twists coming, the impact of these arc conclusions was really impressive, and I came away from A Tide of Black Steel wanting more, especially as there was a cool and brutal cliff-hanger that is going to result in dark moments for the series going forward.

Ryan gave it a real classic adventure feel that worked in the context of the plot.  The author used a very different writing style here compared to The Covenant of Steel novels, as this latest book was a multi-character epic that lacked the chronicle style of the previous trilogy.  While this change in style while remaining the same universe could be potentially jarring, I think it worked quite well, and I enjoyed the complex and entertaining narrative that emerged.  Ryan proved adept at splitting the narrative between various protagonists, and the diverging perspective chapters blended well into a large and compelling story, with only occasional crossovers.  The reveal of key plot points in one perspective arc was well utilised in some of the other protagonist’s chapters, and I really enjoyed the tight, character-driven narrative that emerged.

As I have mentioned a few times, A Tide of Black Steel and the Age of Wrath series it is a part of are a sequel to Ryan’s The Covenant of Steel series, which the author uses to full effect to makes this novel even more enticing and fun.  Set years after the conclusion of The Traitor, A Tide of Black Steel takes place in a new setting, Ascarlia, a neighbouring realm to the lands featured in The Covenant of Steel books and features several characters with interesting connections to figures from the previous trilogy, including that series’ main protagonist.  Ryan has a wonderful time diving into this new setting, which has a distinctive Norse/Viking feel compared to the more traditional medieval Europe vibe of the previous novels.  This allows for an entirely new focus on naval combat, a boat and island focused culture and Norse-inspired military tactics, which really helps to set A Tide of Black Steel apart.  Ryan utilises all these elements to great effect in this new book, and the multiple longship-on-longship battles and clashes at the shield wall were impactful, as well as the well-researched and beautifully written depictions of maritime activity and nautical life.  I deeply enjoyed this expansion of Ryan’s universe, and the focus on a whole new realm within this world really opened the story options and allowed new protagonists and threats to shine.

While A Tide of Black Steel stands on its own extremely well, the events of The Covenant of Steel books are routinely referenced, and there are some very interesting connections between it and this new series.  As such, I feel that A Tide of Black Steel is a book that fans of Ryan’s previous series are going particularly enjoy, especially as they eagerly await any clues or hints about the open story threads from the end of The Covenant of Steel novels.  I know I was constantly curious to see whether some of the characters with more mysterious pasts were going to be revealed as figures we’d previously seen in the other series, and the result of that was pretty good.  I also liked how the use Ascarlia in this book finally provided a good follow-up to a key part of the first The Covenant of Steel novel, The Pariah, and I really enjoyed seeing Ryan expand on these events, including bringing back an antagonist from that book and making them a key supporting character here.  Despite all these references, those readers interested in checking out A Tide of Black Steel without reading The Covenant of Steel novels first are still guaranteed a good time, especially as Ryan provides all the relevant background and refreshes your mind about details relevant to the plot.  Still, for the full emotional attachment and background, I would recommend reading the other trilogy first, especially as they are excellent pieces of fantasy fiction.

I should also take the time to mention the excellent array of characters featured within A Tide of Black Steel, as Ryan introduces four outstanding central protagonists, as well as a great collection of supporting figures.  These characters are used to full effect throughout the course of the plot, and you grow attached to several, especially when you learn their background and motivations.  Each of the four perspective protagonists set an own excellent tone for their chapters, and I frankly enjoyed seeing all their separate adventures and differing mindsets.  Watching all of them overcome adversity, lies and issues from their past was quite impressive, and Ryan sets up some interesting, long-running character arcs that are going to be really interesting to see conclude in the future books.  The supporting cast was also quite impressive, and Ryan introduced a range of fantastic characters who were usually exclusive to a particular protagonist.  I personally enjoyed seeing a couple of Ascarlian-related characters previously featured in The Pariah return here, include Margnus Gruinskard, whose deadly duel in his previous appearance directly led to much of the carnage in the previous trilogy.  A couple of mysterious prisoners who find themselves tied to two of the protagonists also added a great deal of interest to the plot, and it was fascinating to see how they connected into the larger plot of the overall series, as well as their personal connection to a key character of this book.  I deeply enjoyed this fantastic cast, and their complex storylines added so much to the overall plot of A Tide of Black Steel.

While I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the A Tide of Black Steel paperback, I ended up listening to the audiobook version instead, primarily because I previously had such a great time with The Covenant of Steel audiobooks.  This proved to be an outstanding choice, especially as the audiobook version really helped to showcase the extended scope of Ryan’s fantasy world, while also enhancing the cool action sequences.  I personally really appreciated that they brought back narrator Steven Brand for A Tide of Black Steel, especially after he did such an awesome job voicing The Covenant of Steel audiobooks.  Brand really gets Ryan’s writing style, and he once again perfectly voiced all the key elements of the plot through his narration.  His take on the large cast of characters was particularly impressive, and each of the compelling figures featured in the plot was perfectly portrayed, with their complex personalities on full display.  I absolutely sped through A Tide of Black Steel’s nearly 20 hour long run time thanks to both the great story and the excellent narration, and this ended up being a particularly amazing audiobook that I deeply enjoyed.  A highly recommended listen and one of the best ways to experience Ryan’s cool new series.

Overall, A Tide of Black Steel was an outstanding fantasy novel, and one I really should have written something about earlier.  Cleverly expanding Ryan’s previously utilised fantasy world to create a compelling Norse-inspired fantasy adventure loaded with twists and hidden secrets, A Tide of Black Steel was a very worthy follow-up to The Covenant of Steel books and takes the reader on a very wild ride.  Exciting, intense and featuring some impressive characters, A Tide of Black Steel was extremely good, and there is a reason it was one of my favourite books from last year.  I cannot wait to see how Ryan continues the Age of Wrath series this year, and the upcoming sequel, Born of an Iron Storm, already sounds particularly awesome.

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Midnight Black by Mark Greaney

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Thriller4 Comments

Publisher: Sphere/Audible (Audiobook – 18 February 2025)

Series: Gray Man – Book 14

Length: 15 hours and 51 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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The always outstanding Mark Greaney provides another addictive and heart-pounding addition to his iconic Gray Man series with the incredible 2025 spy thriller, Midnight Black.

Ever since I started getting fully into the thriller genre, one of the main authors I check out each year is Mark Greaney, a veteran master of thriller fiction who has produced some incredible reads.  Some of his more entertaining books include his Josh Duffy series (Armored and Sentinel), as well as the fun military thriller Red Metal (cowritten with Hunter Ripley Rawlings IV).  However, his best-known body of work is the long-running Gray Man series, which was adapted into a Netflix movie of the same name.

The Gray Man series is an outstanding collection of spy thriller novels that follows elite assassin and black ops operative Court Gentry, better known by the titular moniker of the Gray Man, as he faces off against an array of deadly enemies while occasionally working for the CIA.  I have become a pretty major fan of the Gray Man series thanks to the author’s complex stories, gritty action sequences and damaged characters, and I have had a blast with books like The Gray Man, Mission Critical, One Minute Out (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2020), Relentless (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), Sierra Six (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022), Burner (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023) and The Chaos Agent (one of my favourite books of 2024).  Due to how epic all these previous Gray Man entries have been, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the next entry in the series, Midnight Black.  Providing an intense follow-up to a fantastic cliffhanger from the last book, Midnight Black was one of my most anticipated releases of 2025, and it really did not disappoint.

In the icy wilds of Mordovia, lies the brutal woman’s penal colony IK-2 Yavas.  A harsh work camp for the many political enemies of the current Russian regime, IK-2 Yavas is hell on earth for any women who have defied the state.  However, despite the prison holding many prominent criminals and politicians, their most valuable prisoner is former spy Zoya Zakharova.

Once a prominent Russian foreign intelligence agent, Zoya was forced to flee her position and eventually found herself working covertly for the CIA as a deniable asset.  However, after being captured by the Chinese and traded to the Russians, Zoya’s future is bleak as she is slowly worked to death.  Worse, a ruthless FSB operative is using Zoya as bait for the person most important left in her life, her lover Court Gentry, the Gray Man.  But, unknown to Zoya, the Gray Man is far closer than she realises.

Having spent months prowling the Eastern European countries, Gentry seeks a way to steal across the Russian border and save the woman he loves, no matter the cost.  Embarking on a risky entry plan with only minimal help from his old CIA contacts, Gentry is determined to find Zoya and kill anybody who gets in his way.  But with the entire Russian state security apparatus turned against him, can Gentry once again do the impossible and save Zoya, or will this be the final mission for the legendary Gray Man?

Mark Greaney continues to impress with his epic Gray Man series, as the 14th brilliant entry in the series, Midnight Black, was absolute fire.  Providing an intense and deeply addictive spy thriller narrative, Midnight Black hooked me from the very beginning and refused to let go until the final explosive confrontation.  Slick, emotionally charged and very clever, Midnight Black gets an easy five-star rating from me, and I had such an amazing time listening to it.

This proved to be an outstanding book to get through, as Midnight Black featured a compelling and cinematic narrative that had me hooked the entire way through.  Expertly following on from the emotional cliffhanger from the end of the previous book in the series, The Chaos Agent, Midnight Black starts several months later and sees a desperate Court Gentry doing anything he can to try to enter Russia, only to encounter setbacks he has to take care of in his usual destructive manner.  This works as an excellent introduction to Midnight Black’s plot, especially as it helps you appreciate the emotional stakes of the book, and you quickly become invested in the protagonist’s quest.  Greaney quickly expands the plot through several additional character perspectives, including recuring characters Zack Hightower and Zoya Zakharova, who have their own missions/problems, an intriguing new Russian rebel protagonist, and the perspective of some sinister Russian operatives, including the FSB agent pulling all the strings around Zoya’s imprisonment.  This serves as a great base for the rest of the story, and the author soon starts to feature some of the more complex and action-packed sequences in Midnight Black.

Starting with a well-layered extended shootout sequence in Europe, the second half of Midnight Black hits hard and keeps the reader deeply engaged.  Greaney continues to set out quite an impressive story, as Gentry enters Russia and proceeds to cause all manner of havoc, while his allies in Europe and the US throw together an audacious plan that really amps up the narrative.  Greaney keeps the plot constantly moving, taking the protagonists from one dangerous situation to the next, with compelling character moments and well-featured exposition that keeps everything going forward.  The author also throws in a ton of high-octane and memorable sequences, including a fun extended chase in Moscow involving a stolen train, which was so entertaining to behold.  Everything leads up to the big finale in the last third of the story, where the protagonist makes his play to free Zoya in very cinematic fashion.  There is a lot of intense anticipation involved in the leadup to this final part of Midnight Black, and it proves to be particularly captivating and exciting.  The conflict, high stakes and constant worry you have for the characters ensures you won’t be able to put this part of the book down, and I was so keen to see how everything came together.  Greaney wraps things up perfectly, and I liked the hopeful conclusion to Midnight Black, especially after some of the dark preceding books, and you come away satisfied, as well as excited to see where the series goes next.

I am always greatly impressed with how Greaney sets out his outstanding novels, and Midnight Black is a particularly strong example of this.  A fast-paced book with several interesting layers to it, Midnight Black drags you in with its powerful narrative and keeps you there with the well-set-out action, complex characters, and gritty realism.  Thanks to the blend of character arcs and alternating storylines, there is a lot going on in Midnight Black, and you are given a great mixture of ultra-exciting sequences of action and spy craft, intense personal moments of despair and hope, as well as a cool dive into real-world issues, such as the current war in Ukraine, that enhance the overall plot.  I particularly enjoyed the gritty realism loaded in the story, especially when it comes to looking at the current politics of Russia, and there was a particular dire tone to much of the plot that was well mirrored by several protagonist’s circumstances.

One of the writing techniques I always enjoy with the Gray Man novels is the author’s excellent use of alternating character perspectives, as the reader gets to see the narrative through a variety of different viewpoints.  While primary characters like Gentry, Hightower and Zakharova naturally get most of the focus, you also see events through the eyes of more minor protagonists, such as Gentry’s former CIA handler in the US, or a Russian rebel fighter launching attacks in Moscow, as well as from several of the book’s antagonists.  This provides a much more expansive narrative for readers, especially as you soon understand the compelling motivations of all the significant characters, as well as their often conflict plans and schemes.  I particularly enjoyed how well some of Midnight Black’s many action sequences become even more impressive when you get to see events through the eyes of all the participants in the event.  Seeing all the alternate sides of conflicts really helps to make the fight sequences stand out, and it is captivating to see the various moves and countermoves of all the characters involved.  I felt this worked particularly well in some of the book’s big firefights, such as one sequence out in the woods where Gentry and Hightower’s camp gets raided by a squad of hitters, and you really get drawn into the books brutal action thanks to this.

While Midnight Black can probably be read as a standalone novel, especially as Greaney does a good job recapping key events, I feel that this latest Gray Man novel is probably best enjoyed by those who have read the previous books in the series, especially the preceding entry, The Chaos Agent.  This is mainly because Greaney is following up on a major cliffhanger from the previous book, and a lot of the emotional weight of the plot is based around the protagonist trying to right this wrong and save the woman he loves.  Being invested in the relationship between Gentry and Zakharova, as well as appreciating the protagonist’s other character relationships, really helps to amp up the stakes of Midnight Black, and I know I was personally hooked on seeing how events played out.  While having this background does enhance the experience, I do think that new readers can easily come into the series here and still have an amazing time, especially once they get caught up in the intense plot.

I also need to once again compliment the compelling characters found within Midnight Black, as Greaney really went out of his way to create some intense character moments in this latest Gray Man novel.  A lot of this revolves around the protagonist, Court Gentry, who finds himself in emotional turmoil following the Russians imprisoning the woman he loves.  Unsure about her fate and desperate to enter Russia to rescue her, Gentry is a ghost of his former self, recklessly engaging in deadly actions without his former skill and tradecraft.  This uncharacteristic lack of planning from the main protagonist and the way he lets his emotions overwhelm him adds a compelling edge to the story, especially as it results in more carnage and close calls.

The rest of the cast are also well featured in Midnight Black, especially as Greaney brings back several old favourites in dire circumstances.  For example, Court’s love interest, Zoya Zakharova, ends up having a particularly powerful arc in Midnight Black, as she is imprisoned in a Russian work camp.  Slowly losing hope due to her surroundings, her imminent execution, and her worry for Court, Zoya’s scenes are often hard to read and really help to hammer home the dark stakes of the book.  Greaney also brings back fun recurring character Zack Hightower, who serves as a lighter point of view protagonist compared to Court and Zoya.  A veteran operator with a lot of history with the other protagonists, Zack was a great foil for Court’s moodier persona in Midnight Black, and I loved seeing them work together in this way.  Other characters of note include Court’s former CIA handler, Matthew Hanley, who works to provide outside help despite his own downward career trajectory, and Major Colonel Eriks Baronov, an FSB operative trying to use Zoya as bait for the Gray Man.  I really enjoyed how Hanley and Baronov provided interesting alternating tactical insights into the events of Midnight Black, which gave the novel a great global conflict feel at times.  All these characters and more helped to turn Midnight Black into something special, and I really enjoyed how complex and exciting the various character-driven storylines turned out to be.

As has become my habit with the Gray Man series in recent years, I ended up listening to Midnight Black on audiobook rather than reading a physical copy.  I find that the audiobook version of the Gray Man books, narrated by the always reliable Jay Snyder, are an excellent way to absorb Greaney’s fantastic stories, especially as the various action sequences and compelling showcases of spycraft are highlighted particularly well in this format.  For Midnight Black, I listened to this audiobook while on a holiday with a lot of flying/driving time, which not only kept me from getting bored on the bus/plane but which ensured that I absolutely powered through its near 16-hour run time.  It helped that many of the best sequences in the book, such as the epic firefight at the halfway point and the big chase through Moscow, were particularly impactful in this format, and Snyder did an excellent job voicing all the characters.  I particularly appreciated all the eastern European and Russian accents that Snyder attributed to the various characters, and he also did a good job capturing key parts of the protagonist’s personalities, especially Gentry’s weariness and desperation that were a key part of this book.  Due to this brilliant voice work, as well as my general love for the format, I would strongly recommend Midnight Black on audiobook, and I can guarantee it makes for great entertainment on long road trips.

Overall, Midnight Black was another outstanding and captivating new entry in the always impressive Gray Man series.  Author Mark Greaney did an amazing job continuing one of the very best spy thriller series out there, and I deeply enjoyed Midnight Black’s particularly intense and personal story.  Featuring some fantastic action, complex character arcs and some compelling insights into major contemporary events, Midnight Black was extremely addictive, and I cannot wait to see how Greaney continues the series in the future.

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WWW Wednesday – 18 June 2025

On By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW WednesdayLeave a comment

WWW Wednesday is a weekly post hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading:

Broke Road by Matthew Spencer (Trade Paperback)

I just started reading the excellent Australian crime fiction novel Broke Road by Matthew Spencer.  The sequel to his fantastic debut, Black River, Broke Road sets up another compelling murder mystery, this time out in rural Australia. I have made a bit of progress with Broke Road so far and it is proving to be an intriguing and compelling piece of crime fiction. I look forward to unwinding the full case this week, and I cannot wait to see how it turns out.

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Warhammer 40,000: Fulgrim: The Perfect Son by Jude Reid (Audiobook)

I’m still listening to the awesome Warhammer 40,000 audiobook, Fulgrim: The Perfect Son by Jude Reid, who previously impressed me with books like Creed: Ashes of Cadia and Daemonbreaker. Following members of the hedonistic and corrupt Emperor’s Children Chaos Space Marines Legion as they embark on siege on behalf of their dark master, The Perfect Son looks set to be an intriguing and entertaining Warhammer 40,000 novel loaded with secrets and betrayal. I’ve made a fair amount of progress on The Perfect Son, and it is proving to be a particularly impressive piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and one of Reid’s best books yet.

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What did you recently finish reading?

Battle Mountain by C. J. Box (ebook)

A very fun and over-the-top thriller with a ton of action and adventure. Review to follow very soon.

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The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson (ebook)

I decided to check out the interesting fantasy debut, The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson this week, and boy was it particularly impressive. Featuring a unique fantasy narrative, loaded with murder, intrigue and conspiracy, The Raven Scholar was an outstanding novel, and one I’m hoping to gush about very soon.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Sins of the Fathers by John Byrnes

I’m hoping to check out the amazing Australian historical fiction novel, Sins of the Fathers by John Byrnes next. Set to follow two feuding families as they try to kill each other for the sins of their respective fathers admit the chaotic periods of Australian history, Sins of the Fathers sound really cool and I love a good generational historical epic.  I am looking forward to checking this book out, especially after enjoying Byrnes previous novels Headland and The Youngest Son.

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Badlands by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

I’m also hoping to start the over-the-top thriller Badlands on audiobook this week. Bringing back the writing team of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child for another awesome thriller, Badlands will feature a very unique mystery as people start dying while holding Native American artefacts. I have no doubt this is going to be an incredible and very exciting novel and I cannot wait to see how fun things get.

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That’s it for this week; check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Comedy/Satire, Five-Star Books, Murder Mystery, Thriller1 Comment

Publisher: Penguin Audio (Audiobook – 17 September 2024)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 10 hours and 33 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of my favourite authors of crime fiction, hilarious British television personality Richard Osman, continues his run of exceptional books with the 2024 novel, We Solve Murders.

Few authors have made as big an impact on the crime fiction world in recent years than Richard Osman.  Debuting in 2020 with his incredible novel, The Thursday Murder Club, Osman deeply impressed with his first book that cleverly blended a great mystery with likeable characters and a brilliant sense of humour.  A fun novel about four retirees who solve murders from the activity room of their retirement village, The Thursday Murder Club was quite exceptional, and it ended up being one of my favourite books, debuts and audiobooks of 2020.  Osman has done an outstanding job of continuing this series, with the next three books The Man Who Died Twice (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), The Bullet That Missed (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022) and The Last Devil to Die (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023), all being incredible.  After the powerful conclusion to The Last Devil to Die, Osman decided to take a break from the Thursday Murder Club books and instead dove into a cool standalone read, We Solve Murders.  A fun thriller with some entertaining twists to it, We Solve Murders was an interesting new read from Osman, that I had an exceptional time with last year.  Unfortunately, I’ve been a bit slack at getting a review out for this awesome book, but I’m trying to make an effort to get through it now before we hit the halfway mark of 2025.

Plot Synopsis:

A brand new series. An iconic new detective duo. And a puzzling new murder to solve…

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.

Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job…

Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a lethal enemy?

This was another exceptional book from Osman who really showcased his impressive ability to tell an engaging story with unique protagonist in this brilliant novel.  Sharp, captivating and relentlessly entertaining, We Solve Murders had me hooked the entire way through, and there were times I couldn’t stop listening to it.  A very easy five-star book for me, We Solve Murders was one of my top books and audiobooks of 2024 for a very good reason.

I must admit that before reading We Solve Murders, I wasn’t too certain that Osman was going to have the same success he’d had with the Thursday Murder Club books, especially as he was moving onto new ground and characters.  However, I really shouldn’t have been worried, as Osman crafted together an incredible, captivating and highly personal story that was so damn fun.  Focusing on the interesting father/daughter-in-law combination of Steve and Amy Wheeler, the story starts quickly with Amy getting framed for the death of several clients from her private security company.  With killers after her and unable to trust anyone at her company, Amy has no choice but to go on the run and attempt to solve the case herself, accompanied by her eccentric client, famed author Rosie D’Antonio.  Needing help and faced with a series of strange clues, a massive conspiracy and the ire of a legendary money launderer, Amy seeks the unlikely help of her semi-retired investigator father-in-law, Steve Wheeler, dragging him out of his comfortable life in small-town England and taking him on an international tour of murder and criminality.

The resulting narrative is a highly entertaining series of events, as the protagonists flit around various locations, attempting to uncover the truth behind the killings, while also trying to avoid a dangerous hitman hunting them.  At the same time, an array of excellent supporting characters nip around the edge of the investigation themselves, as they attempt to figure out how Amy is involved and who the master criminal of the case is.  I loved the various outrageous and fun moments that follow on from this, as the protagonists get into all manner of trouble, with Steve and Rosie D’Antonio becoming unlikely heroes at times.  Osman loads up an array of excellent twists throughout the novel, and you are constantly left guessing at who the overall villain of the book, as well as their mole in Amy’s agency, is, and how they are plotting against the protagonists.  It all leads up to a fantastic final sequence in Dubia, where the protagonists come face to face with the villain in a brilliant end to the mystery.  I felt that this entire story wrapped up pretty perfectly, with all the relevant threads Osman introduced coming together into a clever conclusion.  I also really liked the surprising reveal about who the villain of the story is, and it works extremely well in the context of the hidden clues and hints that Osman had expertly featured throughout the rest of the book.  An overall outstanding story that I honestly could not get enough of.

While the story focus of We Solve Murders is different from his previous novels, Osman still deploys the outstanding writing style that made the Thursday Murder Club novels such a hit.  Working well as a standalone novel outside of his main series (although there was a good minor cameo), Osman once again quickly sets up a complex story with many intriguing characters and lets them loose with an amazing blend of mystery, humour and character development.  Adapting to the international thriller genre extremely well and featuring an extended range of cool settings, Osman’s plot in We Solve Murders is very fast paced, while also taking the time to ensure readers are having fun and getting absorbed in both the clever main mystery and the unique story threads surrounding the characters.  I loved all the very subtle and clever setup that Osman features in the early parts of the book, especially as there are some impressive clues to the identity of the various bad guys, and I really need to go back now I know the solution to see these clues in a new light.

While the compelling mystery, surprising twists and dive into international criminality was a great base to We Solve Murders, the element that tied it all together was Osman’s comedic charm.  Featuring the fantastic British-centric humour that Osman is so well known for, We Solve Murders was constantly entertaining, and there are so many fun jokes and references loaded into every page.  While much of this humour is quite restrained and subtle, which allows for a general light-hearted tone amongst the discussions of murder and crime, there are also some more direct comedic moments brought about by outrageous characters, unlikely interactions and the constant subverting of expectations.  Some of my favourite jokes include a high-stakes pub quiz night, the surprising motivations of a hitman, and the main villain’s constant use of ChatGPT to re-write his communications in the style of an English gentleman.  All this ensures that the reader is constantly laughing, allowing them to stay hooked to this captivating and well-written story.

Another major highlight of We Solve Murders was the extremely likeable and compelling characters through whose eyes we see the story unfold.  Osman excels at writing fun and memorable characters, and the ones in We Solve Murders are particularly entertaining.  The two main anchor characters of this book are the fantastic duo of retired investigator Steve Wheeler and his globetrotting elite bodyguard daughter-in-law Amy Wheeler.  A fun and very likeable combination thanks to their close relationship, Steve and Amy start the books as complete opposites, with Steve a unadventurous figure whose only desire is to remain in his small town, while Amy is constantly thrust into action while also managing to keep a successful long-distance relationship with her husband.  I loved how Osman wrote both characters, and it was fascinating to see their alternative takes on how to live life.  Some of the best parts of We Solve Murders’ plot involves Amy trying to pull Steve out his shell by taking him on her adventure, and readers get to see some genuinely nice character development around Steve as a result.  There is also a good focus on Amy learning to rely on those closest to her for help, especially when she finds herself in trouble.

While Amy and Steve are the heart of the book, there are a range of other outrageous and entertaining characters loaded throughout We Solve Murders, each of whom add to the impact and enjoyability of the novel in various ways.  These include multiple residents of Steve’s village, who joyfully aid him in his investigation, a local talent agent with an unusual connection to an international crime ring, the feuding owners of two rival private security companies whose mistrust for each other leads to a lot of intrigue, a diva actor oblivious to the crazy events going on around him, various international criminals who find themselves outmatched by the unlikely team of protagonists, a relentless hitman with his own motivations, and the big bad of the story, who casts a big shadow while staying hidden.  Out of all these characters, my favourite was easily glorious author Rosie D’Antonio, who tags along with the Wheelers on their adventure and becomes a valuable part of their team.  Over-the-top, internationally beloved, and constantly providing juicy titbits about her many adventures, Rosie D’Antonio effortlessly steals every scene she is in with her big personality and unpredictable actions.  I don’t think any character made me laugh as much as Rosie did, and I guarantee We Solve Murders would not have been as good without her.  I really appreciate how well the author utilises all these great characters, splitting the story perfectly between them, and you will come away from this novel completely in love with Osman’s memorable protagonists and their brilliant personalities.

I have mentioned multiple times how much I have enjoyed the Thursday Murder Club novels on audiobook, so I naturally had to check out We Solve Murders in this format as well.  Unsurprisingly, the We Solve Murders audiobook was just as awesome as I had hoped, as the format perfectly showcased Osman’s complex storytelling and outrageous characters.  Part of the reason why the We Solve Murders audiobook worked so well was that they once again got an extremely talented English actress to narrate the book, this case Nicola Walker, who blew it out of the park.  Walker, who is well known for her roles in various UK crime shows, did a remarkable job of narrating Osman’s story, perfectly capturing the crazy thriller tone as well as the author’s fantastic subtle humour, and ensuring that the reader is constantly engaged with the plot of the book.  I really enjoyed how well Walker inhabited all the figures Osman imagined for this brilliant read, no matter how outrageous they were, and she made sure to cleverly showcase their unique personalities and intriguing outlooks on life.  This great voice acting really enhanced the overall epic experience I had with the We Solve Murders audiobook, and this is easily the best way to enjoy this exceptional read.  I honestly cannot recommend this audiobook enough and you will just power through its 10-and-a-half-hour-long runtime.

Richard Osman continues to dominate the crime fiction scene with the outstanding standalone novel, We Solve Murders.  Combining a complex mystery with likeable characters and subtle British humour, We Solve Murders was a fun new direction for Osman, who had his own brilliant take on an international thriller.  A clever and highly entertaining novel, We Solve Murders once again showed off how good Osman is as a writer, and you will be unable to put this book down.  I cannot wait to get my next hit of Osman, and with both a The Thursday Murder Club film adaptation and the fifth Thursday Murder Club novel, The Impossible Fortune, coming out later this year, fans of the author are in for a real treat.

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WWW Wednesday – 11 June 2025

On By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW WednesdayLeave a comment

WWW Wednesday is a weekly post hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading:

Warhammer 40,000: Fulgrim: The Perfect Son by Jude Reid (Audiobook)

After highlighting some of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels earlier this week, I was keen to return to this awesome grimdark franchise and decided to check out one of the more intriguing recent releases from it, with Fulgrim: The Perfect Son by Jude Reid. Following members of the hedonistic and corrupt Emperor’s Children Chaos Space Marines Legion as they embark on siege on behalf of their dark master, The Perfect Son looks set to be an intriguing and entertaining Warhammer 40,000 novel loaded with secrets and betrayal. I’ve only just started listening to this audiobook, but it is so far very intense and interesting.  I have no doubt I am going to have a great time with The Perfect Son, especially as some of Reid’s previous Warhammer 40,000 novels, such as Creed: Ashes of Cadia and Daemonbreaker, were a ton of fun.

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What did you recently finish reading?

Nightshade by Michael Connelly (ebook)

I absolutely powered through the new Michael Connelly novel; Nightshade, last week and it was such a great read. Following an interesting new Connelly protagonist who is forced to investigate a murder on Catalina Island, Nightshade is another amazing book from Connelly that had me hooked very early one. An outstanding and highly recommend novel from one of the very best crime fiction authors.

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Never Flinch by Stephen King (audiobook)

I also managed to finally finish off the new Stephen King novel, Never Flinch.  Featuring one of the authors more compelling protagonists, Holly Gibney (from books like Mr. Mercedes, The Outsider and Holly), Never Flinch is a gripping novel that pits Holly against both a killer planning to murder 14 people and a disturbed stalker fixated on murdering a women’s rights activist.  Easily one of my favourite books of 2025 so far, Never Flinch was such an incredible read and I’m still reeling from the tense finale.

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The Malevolent Eight by Sebastien de Castell (ebook)

I spent a good chunk of this week reading the sounding dark fantasy novel, The Malevolent Eight by Sebastien de Castell, and boy was it something special.  The sequel to de Castell’s outstanding The Malevolent Seven, The Malevolent Eight follows the author’s unlikely band of murderous magic heroes as they inexpertly try to save the world. The result was one of the funniest and most insane books I have ever read, and I am still chuckling at some of the outrageous jokes.  I’m hoping to get a review up for this book soon, but make sure to check it out if you’re in the mood for a very, very fun fantasy novel.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Battle Mountain by C. J. Box

I have several interesting books on my to-read list that I might check out next, but the one I think I’ll start with is the awesome thriller Battle Mountain by C. J. Box.  The 25th entry in the author’s long-running Joe Pickett series, Battle Mountain will follow on from the tragic events of the previous book, Three-Inch Teeth and see the vengeful protagonists dragged into another deadly confrontation.  I already know I’m going to have a lot of fun with Battle Mountain, and I look forward to seeing how everything turns out.

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That’s it for this week; check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

Waiting on Wednesday – The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Comedy/Satire, Murder Mystery, Waiting on Wednesday7 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  For this Waiting on Wednesday, I look at an upcoming novel I wholeheartedly believe will be one of the best releases of 2025, with the exceptional and impressive new Thursday Murder Club novel, The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman.

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Over the last few years, I, as well as many other lovers of crime fiction, have been blown away by the works of relative newcomer Richard Osman, who has wowed the world with his Thursday Murder Club novels.  Osman, a fun British television personality, blew into the crime fiction scene back in 2020 with his debut novel, The Thursday Murder Club, an enchanting novel that followed four loveable senior citizens with an unlikely hobby, as they attempted to solve a series of murders around their retirement village.  Not only did The Thursday Murder Club have an outstanding murder mystery greatly enhanced by Osman’s subtle humour, but the author also created four incredible and memorable protagonists in Thursday Murder Club members Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim, who all brought their own distinctive charm to the story.  I ended up have an exceptional time with The Thursday Murder Club, and it ended up being one of my favourite books, debuts and audiobooks of 2020.

While The Thursday Murder Club was an exceptional first book from Osman, it turned out to only be the start of the magic from the author, as we soon got some outstanding new additions to the series.  This included the awesome first sequel, The Man Who Died Twice (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), the excellent third novel The Bullet That Missed (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022) and the tragic and powerful fourth novel, The Last Devil to Die (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023).  Osman also successfully branched out with the intriguing thriller novel, We Solve Murders (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2024), that also greatly impressed.  All these novels were simply incredible, and getting the new Osman is now a major highlight of my reading year.

Unsurprisingly, I am extremely keen for the next book from this amazing author, and fans of Osman are apparently in for a big treat later this year with the fifth Thursday Murder Club novel, The Impossible Fortune.  Set for release in late September 2025, The Impossible Fortune will see the gang get back into action when they encounter a new criminal conspiracy threatening those close to them.

Plot Synopsis:

The unmissable new mystery in the bestselling, record-breaking Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman.

Who’s got time to think about murder when there’s a wedding to plan?

It’s been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favourite criminal.

But when Elizabeth meets a wedding guest who fears for their life, the thrill of the chase is ignited once again. A villain wants access to an uncrackable code and will stop at nothing to get it. Plunged back into their most explosive investigation yet, can the gang solve the puzzle and a murder in time?

This sounds like another outstanding addition to the Thursday Murder Club series, and I like the direction that Osman is taking the narrative.  Setting a deadly game of cat and mouse amongst an important and stressful wedding event is a sure to make the plot of The Impossible Fortune something really entertaining, and I am deeply intrigued to see how the entire story unfolds.  While there aren’t too many details in the above synopsis, I have no doubt that Osman has cooked up another complex and thrilling tale of deceit and murder, which her four elderly protagonists will be eager to dive into after their hiatus from crime solving.

While I love the sound of the cool story above, I think a lot of us are going to be reading The Impossible Fortune to check in on the four beloved protagonists of the book, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim, especially after all the tragic and life changing events of the fourth novel.  It is going to be particularly sad to follow Elizabeth again after the heartbreaking passing of her husband (something I still haven’t forgiven Osman for), and I imagine that her perspective scenes are going to be some of the hardest to read in the entire book.  It will be interesting to see how the rest of the cast are going, and if Osman is true to form, there will be some amazing character-focused storylines around all of them that will make you love these brilliant protagonists even more.

To be clear, there is no chance in hell that I will not be reading The Impossible Fortune later this year.  Richard Osman’s previous books have all been so damn exceptional, and I really cannot wait to get my next hit of complex mystery, amazing humour and particularly personal character stories.  Based on how incredible all the other Thursday Murder Club novels have been, there is no doubt at all that The Impossible Fortune is going to be one of the very best books of 2025, and I am going to have such an incredible time powering through the audiobook version of this novel in a few months’ time.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels – June 2025

On By The Unseen LibraryIn List, Warhammer11 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  The official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday focuses on Bookish Wishes, which, while interesting, isn’t something I felt I could contribute to.  So instead I’m going to spend this week’s Top Ten Tuesday updating a regular list of mine where I highlight my absolute favourite Warhammer 40,000 tie-in novels.

Warhammer is a long-running extended universe that is based around a series of miniature table-top games.  Started by Games Workshop decades ago, Warhammer in its various forms has a large and dedicated following to it, and there are several existing or defunct games associated with the franchise.  The most iconic of these is the Warhammer 40,000 franchise which is set millennia in the future and details a grim-dark universe where multiple factions engage in massive wars and unique battles.  Thanks to years of extended lore, there are a ton of Warhammer 40,000 books and comics out there, with a massive team of great authors contributing more and more to it all the time. 

Due to how much I love this franchise and how many books I have been reading from it, around this time two years ago, I went out of my way to list my favourite Warhammer 40,000 books, which ballooned into a 20-entry feature.  This proved to be a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed highlighting the top Warhammer 40,000 books I read, so much so that I updated it around a year ago.  While I was happy with how these first two lists panned out, I was only really scratching the surface of this massive collection of fiction, as there are a ton of other epic Warhammer 40,000 books out there.  I’ve spent the last year or so getting even further into this franchise, and I have read several additional awesome books, which includes some brand-new favourites.  As such, I figured this would be a good time to update my previous list and feature even more epic pieces of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.

As with my previous list about Warhammer 40,000 fiction, I have loaded this entry up with my top 20 favourite books, including several great books I discovered in the last year.  There are some amazing Warhammer 40,000 novels here, and it was interesting to see what new pieces of fiction made it onto the latest version of this list.  I had some very hard decisions to make, and several books that I featured last time needed to be cut, which wasn’t easy to do.  I did once again decide to compact several books from the same series (and written by the same author) into a single entry to increase variety, which I think worked out well.  Overall, I’m very happy with how my Top 20 list turned out and there are so many exceptional and epic novels I would strongly recommend.

Top 20 List (no particular order):

Eisenhorn trilogy by Dan Abnett

Warhammer 40,000 - Xenos Cover

The first entry on this list is the iconic and epic Eisenhorn trilogy by legendary Warhammer author Dan Abnett.  Generally considered one of the most influential authors of Warhammer fiction, Abnett has written several key series and novels in this canon and the Eisenhorn books are some of his finest work.  Made up of Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus, this series follows the titular Inquisitor Eisenhorn who investigates several complex conspiracies while trying to keep the Imperium of Man safe.  However, along the way he starts making dark compromises and deals to fight the forces of Chaos, which slowly corrupts him.  Providing an outstanding mixture of elaborate stories, impressive characters and some epic moments, the Eisenhorn trilogy is damn near perfect, and I have had a wonderful time getting through it.  Easily one of the best Warhammer series out there, the Eisenhorn novels are a must-read, and there is a reason why most fans recommend it as a brilliant starting Warhammer 40,000 fiction starting point.

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Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! by Nate Crowley

Ghazghkull Thraka - Prophet of the Waaagh! Cover

For readers looking for something a little less human-focussed, Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! is the perfect book.  A unique retelling of iconic ork character Ghazghkull Thraka’s origin story, this fantastic novel presents a powerful and instantly compelling story that shows a far deeper side to the ork boss and his followers.  Crowley expertly utilises a series of distinctive perspectives to tell a particularly striking story, and I loved the fun combination of serious elements and humorous undertones.  I had a brilliant time with this novel, and it ended up being one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022.  Highly recommended, especially on audiobook due to the amazing team of talented narrators the recruited to voice it.

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Assassinorum: Kingmaker by Robert Rath

Assassinorum Kingmaker Cover

Another Warhammer 40,000 novel from 2022 that topped my best of lists was the insanely good Assassinorum: Kingmaker by talented author Robert Rath.  Following three ultra-elite assassins, Kingmaker showcases their mission to assassinate a king and bring a new era to a feudal Imperial Knight planet.  The only problem is that their target is permanently bonded to a giant mecha, and there are far darker secrets hidden on the planet than they realised.  This book was highly addictive from the very start, and I cannot emphasise how impressively amazing the narrative was.  You really get attached to the major characters, and I loved all the epic mecha-on-mecha fights than ensued.  A top read from one of the franchises fastest rising stars.

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The Wraithbone Phoenix by Alec Worley

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One of the things that I most love about Warhammer 40,000 fiction is the sheer range of different stories that can be featured in this universe.  Probably the best example of this is the Warhammer Crime subseries that set a series of powerful crime fiction novels in a futuristic and corrupt Warhammer 40,000 city.  The first one of these that I read was The Wraithbone Phoenix by Alec Worley, which features a fast-paced, crime thriller romp as several teams of over-the-top criminals fight to recover a mysterious McGuffin, the titular Wraithbone Phoenix.  The story primarily focuses on the hilarious team of thieving ratling (a futuristic halfling/hobbit) and an enlightened Ogryn (ogre), who find themselves caught in the middle of the heist and hunted by everyone.  Fun, intense and surprisingly moving, this was an amazing book, and readers should also check out Worley’s short audiobook, Dredge Runners, which serves as an exceptional prequel.

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Storm of Iron by Graham McNeill

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From cool crime fiction to brutal sieges, my next entry is the awesome epic Storm of Iron by the legendary Graham McNeill.  Storm of Iron is a powerful and intense read that chronicles a deadly futuristic siege of a legendary citadel by the Iron Warriors Chaos Space Marines, the galaxy’s most accomplished siege experts.  What follows is a brutal and lengthy siege novel that sees both sides engage in a hellish campaign to try and survive.  Cleverly showcasing both sides and providing some great context to the antagonists, this is a particularly fun book that is easily one of the best siege novels I have ever read.

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Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks

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One of the more entertaining additions to this list is Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks.  Brooks is one of the most talented rising authors of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, especially with books like The Lion: King of the Forest and Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom.  While I enjoy his serious work, my favourite book of his is Da Big Dakka.  An intriguing and ultra-entertaining follow-up to his ork novels, Brutal Kunnin and Warboss, Da Big Dakka sets a deadly ork warband against the lethal Drukhari in a battle of wits, carnage and pain.  Hilarious and clever from start to finish, I cannot recommend this book enough as it had me laughing all the way through.

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Sinner’s Bounty by Joshua Reynolds

Kal Jerico - Sinner's Bounty Cover

There are many great Warhammer 40,000 novels on this list, but only one that I can truly blame for my current love of the franchise, and that’s Sinner’s Bounty by Joshua Reynolds.  Set in the Necromunda sub-series/game, Sinner’s Bounty presents a whole new adventure from one of the franchise’s best characters, bounty hunter Kal Jerico, as he follows a notorious criminal into the darkest parts of the massive Necromunda hive city.  A massively entertaining romp that features multiple teams of bounty hunters, an army of mutants, and all manner of monsters in the dark sewers of the city, Sinner’s Bounty is so much damn fun and I loved seeing my favourite character back in action.  I hope we get more Kal Jerico books in the future, but in the meantime Sinner’s Bounty an amazing read that perfectly showcases one of the franchises best settings and protagonists.

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The Infinite and The Divine by Robert Rath

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Another outstanding novel from Robert Rath that I had to feature here is, The Infinite and The Divine.  Focussed on two compelling and brilliant Necron characters, The Infinite and The Divine showcases the legendary feud between them as they spend thousands of years battling over a recovered artefact and its secrets.  Devolving into quite a petty scrap at times, The Infinite and The Divine is one of the funniest and cleverest Warhammer 40,000 books out there as it makes excellent use of humour, intense lore, and some very serious moments to tell a unique and memorable tale.  I had an exceptionally fun time with The Infinite and The Divine, and it is a fantastic novel for all Warhammer fans.

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Gaunt’s Ghosts series – Dan Abnett

Warhammer 40,000 - Necropolis Cover

There was no way I could exclude Dan Abnett’s other iconic series, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books from this list.  Generally considered one of the key pillars of Warhammer 40,000 fiction and essential reading for all newcomers to the franchise, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books follow the Tanith First and Only, a small regiment from a destroyed planet fighting for redemption in a deadly crusade.  Containing great characters, compelling storylines, and a gritty examination of the common Imperial soldier’s life, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books are extremely captivating and I have had a great deal of fun with them.  When I featured the Gaunt’s Ghosts books in this list last time, I had made some descent progress into the series with books like First and Only, Ghostmaker, Necropolis, Honour Guard and The Guns of Tanith, as well as the prequel novel, The Vincula Insurgency.  I have since had the pleasure of reading another two books in the series with Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr, both of which exceptional reads, especially as they really moved the overall narrative of the Gaunt’s Ghosts books along, while hitting the reader with some major tragedy.  While I still have several more Gaunt’s Ghosts books to go, I can confidently say that this is one of the best Warhammer series out there and I would strongly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about this cool universe. 

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Lord of the Night by Simon Spurrier

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A classic Warhammer 40,000 novel that I have a lot of love for is the dark and compelling Lord of the Night by Simon Spurrier.  A unique read that sees a lone Night Lords traitor Space Marine terrorise an entire giant city in the hunt for a legendary artefact, Lord of the Night is a complex, character driven novel that really dives into the villain’s perspective.  Loaded with twists, compelling protagonists and a legendary game of cat and mouse, Lord of the Night is an outstanding read that I’m glad I got the chance to read.

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Renegades: Lord of Excess by Rich McCormick

One of the things that I love about the Warhammer 40,000 franchise is the way in which the Black Library finds and encourages new authors, with several impressive writers making their overall debut with a cool Warhammer 40,000 book.  One of the best recent examples of this was the outstanding novel, Renegades: Lord of Excess by new author Rich McCormick.  A particularly intense and bonkers novel that follows members of the hedonistic Emperor’s Children Chaos Space Marines as they conquer a planet with the goal of making it perfect, Lord of Excess was fantastically over-the-top read that dove into the downsides of excess and obsession.  One of my favourite books, audiobooks and debuts of 2024, Lord of Excess is so damn good, and I cannot wait to see what Rich McCormick writes next.

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Double Eagle/Interceptor City by Dan Abnett

Dan Abnett’s domination of this list continues with the author’s exceptional dive into combat flying and aerial aces in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.  Spinning off from the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, Abnett wrote the impressive novel Double Eagle in 2004, which followed several pilots fighting in the same system-spanning war as the Tanith First and Only.  A particularly gripping novel, Double Eagle made excellent use of it’s Battle of Britain themes and motifs by showing the impact that atmospheric fighter craft can have in an interstellar war and is probably one of Abnett’s best novels.  However, the fun didn’t stop with Double Eagle, as Abnett recently released a long-awaited sequel, Interceptor City.  A particularly powerful read that followed the long-retired protagonist of Double Eagle as she is dragged back into combat, Interceptor City was another exceptional read, that took the awesome aerial combat from the first book and cranked it all the way up to 11.  Both books are incredible, and I can already tell you that Interceptor City is going to end up being one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2025.

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Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell

Warhammer 40,000 - For the Emperor Cover

Last year I made sure to highlight the amazing first novel in the Ciaphas Cain series, For the Emperor by Sandy Mitchell, which I stated was one of the funniest Warhammer novels I have had the pleasure of reading.  However, I was only just scratching the surface of the long-running and beloved Ciaphas Cain series which follows the adventures of Commissar Ciaphas Cain, who is either one of the Imperium’s greatest heroes or a manipulative coward who actively tries to avoid combat, only to end up in even worse situations.  Mitchell paints a pretty hilarious picture around this scenario, and the result is a series of spectacular and side-splittingly funny novels.  I have had a ton of fun getting through several more books in the series, with books like Caves of Ice, The Traitor’s Hand, Death or Glory, Duty Calls, Cain’s Last Stand and The Emperor’s Finest proving to be extremely awesome.  I still have several more entries to go in this series I can’t wait to see all the fantastic and entertaining ways that Cain will run into trouble in the future books.

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The Fall of Cadia by Robert Rath

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Robert Rath makes yet another appearance on this list with his latest novel, The Fall of Cadia.  A truly epic read that recounts the dire events of the canon-changing, Imperium wrecking, final battle of the 13th Black Crusade, The Fall of Cadia is a remarkable book that Warhammer 40,000 fans will not be able to put down.  Filled with massive battles, unique moments, and so many larger-than-life characters, The Fall of Cadia perfectly captures one of the more essential moments in recent Warhammer 40,000 lore.  Rath is really proving himself to be one of the absolute best authors of Warhammer fiction, as The Fall of Cadia ended up being one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023.

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Outgunned and Above and Beyond by Denny Flowers

While Denny Flowers’ first book, Fire Made Flesh, was a great Necromunda novel, it pales in comparison to his Lucille von Shard novels.  Another cool series that focusses on a flying ace, the Lucille von Shard novels are a very different collection of Warhammer 40,000 books as they look at the dark side of the lies, propaganda and badly run wars that are rife within the Imperium.  The series started with the amazing novel Outgunned which follows an Imperial propaganda specialist who arrives on a swampy battlefield to film inspiration footage of a legendary fighter pilot as she battles an ork invasion, only to discover that his preferred subject is an arrogant drunkard, and everyone is dying for a corrupted planet.  A brilliant and intense novel that not only featured a ton of great aerial combat, but which also dives into some very dark places that shows just how far humanity has fallen in the far future Outgunned was such a great read, and Flowers exceeded himself last year with the excellent sequel Above and Beyond.  Once again following the damaged protagonists of the first book as they find themselves locked in a dark conspiracy of alien lies and deadly propaganda, Above and Beyond was an exceptional read, and one that highlights Denny Flowers as one of the most impressive rising authors of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.

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Flesh and Steel by Guy Haley

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The Warhammer Crime hits keep on coming with Flesh and Steel by renowned author Guy Hayley.  This compelling read acts a bit of an odd-couple, buddy cop story when two very different detectives are forced to team up to investigate a dismembered body left across a city border.  Mixing some fantastic comedy with some pretty dark and horrific elements, Flesh and Steel provided one of the best character-focused stories in the Warhammer Crime range and I was deeply impressed with how everything unfolded.  A key Warhammer Crime read and one that I have a great deal of affection for.

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Dead Men Walking by Steve Lyons

Dead Men Walking Cover

Another book that highlight’s the unique human soldiers of the Warhammer 40,000 universe is the moving and tragic novel, Dead Men Walking by Steve Lyons.  Featuring a battle between two unrelenting foes, Dead Men Walking pitted the Death Korps of Krieg against the Necrons in a brutal, all-out war with no true winners.  Cleverly told from the perspective of the poor unfortunates caught in the middle of the fighting, Dead Men Walking is an outstanding and dire novel that really highlights how desperate the Warhammer 40,000 universe can be.  The book that cemented Lyons as the master of the Death Korps of Krieg (check out his other novels Krieg and Siege of Vraks), Dead Men Walking was a dark riot from start to finish that will stick with you for a very long time.

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Day of Ascension by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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A great example of the impressive talent that this franchise attracts can be seen in the 2022 novel, Day of Ascension, written by highly renowned author Adrian Tchaikovsky, making his Warhammer debut.  Day of Ascension was a short and sweet novel which sets the robotic and callus Adeptus Mechanicus against a revolution started by a dangerous Genestealer Cult.  Featuring Tchaikovsky’s flair for highlighting alien mindsets and cultures, there are some very clever divergent perspectives in this novel, and I loved diving into the distinctive minds of two very different types of human hybrids.  Successfully introducing a great talent to the franchise, Day of Ascension is a brilliant read and one that I had an epic time with.

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Titanicus by Dan Abnett

While I know that I’ve overdosed this list with Dan Abnett entries, I had no choice but to also include the awesome read Titanicus, which I had the pleasure of reading earlier this year.  Also set around the same conflict featured in the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, Titanicus sees an important Forge World invaded by a traitor Titan force, determined to destroy it.  When reinforcements from a crusading Imperial Titan regiment arrives to repel the invaders, all out Titan warfare erupts on the planet as the giant god machines of the grimdark future engage in planet shaking combat.  A particularly impressive novel that showcases a destructive, planet-wide war on multiple fronts, Titanicus is one of the definitive novels about the Titan legions in Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and I cannot recommend this additional Abnett novel enough.

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Bloodlines by Chris Wraight

Warhammer 40,000 - Bloodlines Cover

The final entry on this list is the insanely good Warhammer Crime novel, Bloodlines by Chris Wraight.  Following a cynical, veteran detective as he is dragged into a problematic missing person’s case, Bloodlines soon devolves into a hard tale of rich privilege and gangster violence as the protagonist refuses to stop investigating a crooked corporation.  Probably one of the best pure crime fiction novels in this range, I loved the clever conclusion to the narrative and Bloodlines is an outstanding read, and one I am particularly keen for a sequel for (the protagonist has some dark secrets that need to come into the light).  Highly recommended.

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And that’s the end of my list.  All 20 of the above books/series come very highly recommended, and each of them would make an excellent addition to any budding Warhammer 40,000 fan’s collection.  I really loved that I was able to update this awesome list with several new books, and I have no doubt I will have even more to add next year when I update it again, especially as there are some great Warhammer 40,000 books coming out in 2025.  I hope I’ve inspired at least one reader to embark on a Warhammer 40,000 adventure, and you honestly won’t be disappointed.