2 Sisters Murder Investigations by James Patterson and Candice Fox

On August 20, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Thriller1 Comment

Publisher: Century (Trade Paperback – 18 March 2025)

Series: 2 Sisters Detective Agency – Book Two

Length: 352 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The team of iconic crime fiction author James Patterson and one of Australia’s best thriller authors, Candice Fox, once again come together for the outstanding 2025 sequel, 2 Sisters Murder Investigations.

James Patterson and Candice Fox are both very talented authors whose work I have been really enjoying since I started reading more crime fiction. Patterson, the iconic writer who is known for his various long-running series, has been primarily producing collaborative work with other authors in recent years, including Death of the Black Widow with J. D. Barker, The No. 1 Lawyer with Nancy Allen and The Perfect Assassin by Brian Sitts. Fox on the other hand, has been on a real roll with her great recent standalone novels, including Devil’s Kitchen, Fire with Fire, High Wire and The Chase. On top of those previous novels, Patterson and Fox have found time to collaborate on several great books, including the fun 2024 novel, The Murder Inn, and their outstanding previous novel, 2 Sisters Detective Agency, the latter of which, has generated a sequel I now want to talk about with 2 Sisters Murder Investigations. Following two mismatched sisters who find themselves investigating crimes in L. A. after re-opening their father’s old detective agency, this interesting series was very fun, I was very happy to receive a copy of the second 2 Sisters Detective Agency novel earlier this year.

Plot Synopsis:

Rhonda and Barbara “Baby” Bird are half-sisters—and full partners in their Los Angeles detective agency. They agree on nothing.

Rhonda, a former attorney, takes a by-the-book approach to solving crimes, while teenage Baby relies on her street smarts.

But when they take a controversial case of a loner whose popular wife has gone missing, they’re accused of being PIs who can’t tell a client from a killer.

The Bird sisters share a late father, but not much else…except their willingness to fight.

Fight the system. Fight for the underdog. Fight for the truth. If they can stop fighting each other long enough to work together.

Patterson and Fox produce another outstanding and highly entertaining crime fiction read with 2 Sisters Murder Investigations, which quickly grabs your attention and keeps pushing you forward. Slick, easy-to-read, and full of excitement, 2 Sisters Murder Investigations was another great thriller from two masters of the genre.

2 Sisters Murder Investigations had an excellent story behind it that sees the dysfunctional Bird sisters, older sister Rhonda and rampart teenager Baby, working together at their family detective agency after the events of the first book. After an entertaining start that shows that the sisters still aren’t on the same page, 2 Sisters Murder Investigations thrusts them into a compelling new case when the main suspect in a current murder case requests their help to prove his innocence. Deciding to take on the case against their better judgment, Rhonda and Baby try to help their new client, Troy Hansen, who is accused of murdering his missing wife, and whose unusual demeanour about the case has convinced the entire city he is guilty.

Patterson and Fox’s narrative for 2 Sisters Murder Investigations splits early, as Rhonda’s perspective chapters primarily focus on the Hansen case, which goes in some interesting directions. Under pressure from both the public and the police to stop helping Troy, Rhonda tries to prove his innocence, but she is quickly stymied by a series of problems, including lethal intruders trying, her client’s unusual behaviour, and a box full of concerning evidence hidden at the crime scene. At the same time, Baby attempts to help an older man who is being targeted as part of a sinister scheme to force him to sell his house to a corrupt company. The resulting storylines both go in interesting directions, especially the one around Rhonda and her attempts to help Troy, as the evidence continues to point to her client being a dangerous killer. The eventual result for this plot thread was very captivating, and there were some great twists here, including an unlikely alternate suspect who suddenly shows up. While the reveal about the actual killer wasn’t all that surprising, the way that Patterson and Fox set it up was extremely good, and the fast-paced conclusion to that arc, as well as the surprising tragedy, allowed for some captivating and intense moments. While I liked this main plotline, the secondary storyline with Baby attempting to take on her own case ended up being a little rushed, especially at the end, although I did enjoy seeing how Baby comes into her own and acquires an excellent canine friend. While this weak ending to the second storyline does rob 2 Sisters Murder Investigations of some of its overall impact, I did feel that this narrative for the sequel was very strong, and all thriller fans, even those unfamiliar with the series or the authors, will have a lot of fun with it.

I really enjoyed how entertaining and exciting the authors made 2 Sisters Murder Investigations, and Patterson and Fox ensure that this was a highly compelling and fun novel to read. Utilising the multiple short, sharp paragraphs that Patterson fans will be familiar with, 2 Sisters Murder Investigations was a very easy novel to power through as you jump from one compelling scene to the next. These quick chapters really encourage you to keep going, as the next twists could be only pages away, and I found myself speeding through the story. It helped that Patterson and Fox did a good job splitting the novel’s focus between the two sister protagonists, which allows for a layered narrative, especially as both characters have different focuses and priorities, resulting in a well-balanced and complex overarching story. These separate storylines have a certain distinctness given to them, especially as the authors switched up the perspective style depending on whose chapter it is. For example, Rhonda is shown as more of main protagonist due to her chapters being told in the first person, while Baby’s chapters are told in the third person, which helps to reflect her more junior role in the team. While Patterson and Fox could have perhaps done a better job at the front of each chapter showing which character is the focal point of the book at that point, for the most part this split is pretty seamless, and I liked the alternating and fast-paced nature of the novel that the author’s writing style allows for.

On top of the great story and exciting writing style, I quite enjoyed how Patterson and Fox revisited the main characters of the series, sisters Rhonda and Baby Bird. Still in conflict despite the initial successful nature of their relationship, Rhonda and Baby play off each other extremely well as dysfunctional sisters, which allows for a lot of fun interactions amongst the darker nature of the plot. While you could argue there is a slight loss of character growth between Rhonda and Baby in 2 Sisters Murder Investigations, as they lose some of the cohesion they built up in the first novel, I think their continued bickering and disagreement worked well in the context of the story, as Baby tried to stretch her wings, while Rhonda continues to adjust to being a responsible guardian to a new sister. Throw in some excellent supporting characters, including Rhonda’s complicated love interest, an obsessed cop investigating the murder, a lonely old man who finds purpose thanks to Baby, and one suspicious client who helped to showcase the unlikely choices those under pressure make, and this was a fun cast that turned 2 Sisters Murder Investigations into a really awesome read.

Overall, 2 Sisters Murder Investigations was a great sequel to James Patterson and Candice Fox’s 2 Sisters Detective Agency, and it was very cool to see the Bird sisters back in action again. Featuring a fascinating and gripping narrative that you can easily speed through and still have an awesome time, 2 Sisters Murder Investigations was an outstanding novel that is worth reading, especially if you have enjoyed the previous collaborations between Patterson and Fox.

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Mort by Terry Pratchett

On July 13, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Comedy/Satire, Extended Universe, Fantasy, Five-Star Books, Throwback Thursday1 Comment

Publisher: Gollancz/Penguin Audio (Audiobook – 1987)

Series: Discworld – Book Four/Death – Book One

Length: 7 hours and 18 minutes (Planer version)/7 hours and 57 minutes (Clifford version)

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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My dive into the always outstanding Discworld series by the legendary Terry Pratchett continues with one of the earlier classics, Mort, a clever and highly entertaining novel that still hits hard after all these years.

Readers of this blog will be aware of my obsession for all things Discworld, which I have been a mega fan of for many years. I have had the very great pleasure of reading all the books in the Discworld series multiple times, and I honestly love everything about them, so much so that I even named this blog after a key setting in the series. I’ve recently been having one of my periodic re-reads of the series, which has seen me finally review some of my favourite Discworld entries, including Pyramids, Guards! Guards!, Moving Pictures, Small Gods and Men at Arms. The next entry in the series I decided to reread was the wonderfully compelling Mort. The fourth book in the series, this is one of the earlier Discworld novels and serves as the first book in the Death sub-series.

They say that death comes for everybody, but on the Discworld that statement couldn’t be more true, as everyone will eventually encounter Death, the black-robed, scythe wielding skeleton who personifies the end of life. However, not all encounters with Death are the same, as terminally unqualified teenager Mort is about to discover, as instead of taking his life, Death offers Mort a job.

Suddenly saddled with the responsibilities of being the apprentice of Death, Mort finds his life a lot more complicated. Reaping the souls of the recently departed is one thing, but learning to walk through walls and deal with the unlikely whims of his new master is another, especially as Death seems determined to set Mort up with his adopted daughter Ysabell. However, the big problems begin when Mort impulsively decides to change fate and save the life of a young princess destined to die.

Forced to find a way to stop the diverging threads of reality while keeping the princess alive, Mort soon discovers that being the Grim Reaper isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Worse, with the real Death suddenly discovering the joys of life, Mort’s own humanity is starting to slip away. Can Mort and a group of unlikely companions save reality, or will he have to face his final judgement at the hands of the universe’s most unyielding employer?

Mort was a particularly impressive Discworld novel from Pratchett, especially as it was probably the book where the author finally found his true writing groove. Fun, thoughtful and featuring a clever and concise story, Mort was an outstanding read, and I once again powered through in very short order. As such, Mort gets a very well-deserved five-star rating from me and is a particularly awesome Discworld novel to check out.

I loved the very impressive story that Pratchett came up with for Mort, which takes the concept of Death finding an apprentice and going to the extreme with it. Starting at an initially slow pace that introduces the key characters of Mort and Death, you soon get invested in Mort’s tale of young man coming into his own in a very unusual field. Things get interesting quickly when Mort decides to save the life of a young princess destined to die and soon splits reality down the middle. This leads to a very addictive middle section, as Mort attempts to save the princess while also ensuring reality doesn’t split apart. At the same time, Death, who finds his time freed up thanks to his assistant, begins to wonder around the world learning about humans and trying to have fun. The resulting outlandish interactions with Death are a great counterpoint to Mort’s storyline, especially as this results in the apprentice starting to obtain his own powers, often with hilarious results.

Everything cleverly and quickly leads up to the big final third of the novel, where a less-than-human Mort and a scrappy Ysabell attempt to do a disappeared Death’s duty, while also finding a way to save the doomed princess, whose own attempts to stay in reality have been less than successful. At the same time, fun supporting character Albert, Death’s manservant, returns to his old profession on the Disc and tries to find the original Death, who has found his own unlikely niche in the mortal world. This final third of Mort is extremely fun, fast-paced and surprisingly impactful, especially as the author keeps raising the stakes for the protagonists, and you are very much unable to stop reading it as you try to see where all the entertaining storylines are going. However, it’s the inevitable showdown between Death and Mort that really ties everything together perfectly. Their intense, deeply personal and perfectly showcased duel is amazing, especially as it expertly builds off all the character growth in the novel. Ending on a hopeful note that sets the tone for a great character going forward, you come away from Mort very happy and with an interesting new outlook on life and its always-grinning counterpart.

I really enjoyed how Mort came together, especially as this is the Discworld novel where Pratchett perfects the style and storytelling methods that make his later novels such a treat to read. As such, Mort is an early classic in the series, so much so that it is a perfect entry point for new Discworld fans, who get to see a lot of key ideas develop here, while also being introduced to the author’s humour and clever storytelling. Mort definitely benefited from Pratchett developing a more concise storytelling style here, keeping the narrative a little more focused than the previous novels, and this works as a well-crafted standalone read. Pratchett also does an outstanding job combining cool fantasy elements with outrageous humour and complex characters, and the result is a very entertaining read that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Part coming-of-age story, part examination of an extreme mid-life crisis, Mort’s narrative hits a lot of generational notes, and while some of his ideas about splitting reality and the nature of the Discworld are a little complex, Pratchett ensures that readers can completely follow his thought all the way to the fantastic conclusion.

As with all Discworld books, Pratchett imbues Mort with an amazing level of humour, and I loved how intensely funny this novel was at times. Despite Mort essentially being a novel about mortality and destiny, this is a very light-hearted novel thanks to the entertaining characters and the unusual situations they find themselves in. There are several different levels of humour contained within Mort, ranging from obvious jokes and over-the-top situations to well-setup references or clever name gags, as well as the subtly funny footnotes that really dive into the absurdity of this flat world that lies atop a giant turtle. Some of the funniest parts of Mort lie in the usually hardboiled and cynical inhabitants of the Disc suddenly encountering Death in unlikely scenarios. This becomes particularly prevalent later in the novel when Death leaves the job to Mort and wanders the world looking to understand “fun”, and the various scenes with Death fishing, going to parties, getting drunk, gambling and even searching for a job, are particularly hilarious, especially as everyone else involved in these situations is either deeply unsettled or completely terrified. Other great jokes involve wizards coming to terms with an apparently animated statue, very long-running bar tabs, fun, if short-lived, political intrigues, unlikely deaths, and the young protagonist upsetting everyone by unwittingly walking through walls. I laughed myself silly multiple times in Mort, even though I had heard all the jokes many times before, and you are guaranteed to have a lot of fun with this great Discworld entry.

As with all of Pratchett’s novels, Mort features an excellent array of entertaining characters, whose unique arcs add some excellent power to book’s overall narrative. The cast of Mort was particularly compelling and well-rounded, and I think that Pratchett did a great job of introducing some excellent new figures while also making use of one of the best side-characters in the entire series. Unsurprisingly, most of the novel’s focus settles on the titular character of Mortimer (Mort), a young teen who unexpectedly finds himself the apprentice of Death. Shown at the start of the book to be an awkward and unusually thoughtful figure, Mort’s storyline revolves around his attempts to fit in, learn his unlikely trade, and the interesting relationships that form thanks to his new position. Pratchett works in a very compelling coming-of-age narrative around Mort, especially as he grows into his new role and gains the confidence that comes with finding oneself, while also walking the fine line between morality and duty. However, there is a definite dark edge to Mort’s storyline towards the end, as Mort starts to lose his humanity and becomes more like Death, and it falls to the rest of the characters to keep him human. Pratchett did a really good job introducing and building up Mort as a complex young character, and he ended up being one of the author’s better one-shot protagonists.

While much of the book is focused on Mort, the character who constantly steals the show is Death. The literal personification of death on the Discworld, Death appeared in the first three novels in the series, serving as an ethereal and often entertaining figure on the sidelines who occasionally haunted the author’s original protagonist. Pratchett cleverly expands on Death in this book, showcasing him as a wise and implacable figure doing his duty in a dispassionate way. However, his interactions with humans, especially Mort, soon start to change his personality, especially as he becomes curious about life and tires of his eternal station. This allows him to become a particularly entertaining figure in the second half of the book, as he roams the Disc in unlikely situations, trying to learn how to have fun. His various ponderings on mortality and human nature result in some hilarious moments, and there are so many fantastic and funny interactions that occur here. However, it is the final third of the book where you get a real sense of Death’s character; at first, he wistfully tries to embrace life, only to leave that behind when confronted by the actions of Mort. The anger and sadness that accompany his return to his role and his confrontation with Mort is extremely powerful, and you can’t help but feel for him as he faces an impossible choice, as well as rejection from those he loves. An overall excellent first deep dive into the character of Death from Pratchett, and you can really see why the author wrote several more books around this character going forward.

Aside from Mort and Death, the rest of the main cast of Mort is quite concise and contains an excellent blend of distinctive and impactful characters. This includes Death’s adopted daughter, Ysabell, a seemingly spoiled princess and lover of over-the-top romance, who is initially antagonistic to Mort. Despite her attitude, Ysabell soon turns into quite a likeable and sympathetic character, especially when certain traumas from her unusual life become apparent. Due to her having some of the more emotionally poignant dialogue and character moments in the book, Ysabell is an excellent part of Mort, and I liked how Pratchett paced her storyline. The other major resident of Death’s domain featured in this story is Albert, the mysterious servant determined to hide his past from Mort and Ysabell. Pratchett does an excellent job of setting him up as a bigger figure within the Disc’s history, and his explosive return to form after some entertaining scenes between him and a threatening Mort are a highpoint of the book. Other major characters include Princess Keli, a young princess who finds her sudden reign made even more difficult due her convoluted existence, and young wizard Igneous Cutwell, who serves as a great foil to the more serious Mort and Keli and becomes an excellent comic relief for the book. Throw in an array of over-the-top minor Discworld characters whose lives briefly become that much more interesting due to their interactions with either Death or Mort, and Mort has an especially fun cast that Pratchett uses to great effect within this masterful novel.

I must once again highlight the amazing audiobook formats that are my favourite ways of enjoying the Discworld series. I honestly have so much fun with the Discworld audiobooks, mainly because the format does such an incredible job of showcasing Pratchett’s legendary humour and inventive worldbuilding, and there is frankly no better way to enjoy this cool series. Like the rest of the series, Mort has two particularly awesome unabridged audiobook versions, both of which come highly recommended by me. This includes the old-school version narrated by the legendary Nigel Planer, who provided his voice to over half the unabridged Discworld audiobooks. As with all the Discworld books he narrated, Planer does a remarkable job in this early entry in the series, and I loved the impressive array of voices that he utilised in Mort. Due to this being the first Death audiobook, Planer had a ton of fun featuring his amazing Death voice, which combines beautifully with some of the other new character tones he had to come up with for this novel. His great voice work also helped to showcase some of Pratchett’s excellent jokes and key bits of humour, and you really get drawn into the author’s brilliant story and fantastic writing with this classic audiobook release.

Despite my love for the Planer version of Mort, which in some ways is still the definitive audiobook version of this novel, I must also really hype up the new Mort audiobook that was recently released. Part of the recent rerecording of the Discworld audiobooks I have spruiked in previous reviews, this new version of Mort was extremely awesome, and in some ways it surpasses the old-school version. Coming in with a runtime of just under eight hours, around half an hour longer than the Planer version, this was a brilliant listen, especially with the impressive combined voice work of Sian Clifford, Peter Serafinowicz and Bill Nighy.

Sian Clifford (of Fleabag fame) did an excellent job as the main narrator for this audiobook, reading out most of the story and the voices of the associated cast. This results in a swift, well-voiced and deeply compelling version of Mort, and I loved how effectively Clifford brought the story to life and helped to showcase the author’s great humour. You really get drawn into the cool narrative as Clifford reads it out, and I enjoyed her fresh take on many aspects of the audiobook. Despite Mort being a rather male character dominated entry in the sub-series, Clifford did an excellent job portraying the cast, and there are some great voices featured here, including of some iconic figures from other sub-series (her Rincewind voice was sufficiently terrified and grovelling). Clifford clearly has fun when it comes to some of the more outrageous members of the cast, such as Albert, while her take on Princess Keli was excessively regal, and captured both her irritation at the events unfolding around her, while also showcasing her fear and uncertainty. I must also highlight the voice Clifford provides for the main character, Mort, as the narrator really paints a great picture of a gangly, uncertain teenage boy who starts to come into his own as he gains confidence, and more. I particularly enjoyed the clever voice changes that Clifford did later in the book, especially when Mort started becoming more like his employer, and the corresponding changes to Death’s voice were just perfect. This was honestly some amazing voice work from Clifford, and I look forward to listening to her narration of the other Death audiobooks, especially once Susan is brought in as the main character.

While Clifford is amazing, I felt that Peter Serafinowicz clearly stole the show in Mort, playing his character to perfection. Voicing the recurring character of Death in all the new Discworld audiobooks whenever he appears in the plot, Serafinowicz hits listeners with a deep and final tone that perfectly portrays the Discworld’s Grim Reaper in all his bony glory. For most of the audiobooks, this is just a fun extra inclusion, as Death only appears in a few hilarious scenes. But for Mort, this is much more of an involved role, as Death is one of the book’s main characters, and so much of the book’s humour and complex narrative is based around Death interactions with humanity. As such, Serafinowicz has a ton of fun voice Death through various unusual situations and emotional states, all while keeping up the foreboding Death voice. The clever and subtle changes to this voice that Serafinowicz makes are extremely impressive, and the humour that results from hearing Death engage in these unlikely scenarios and conversations cannot be overstated. I also must highlight one brilliant sequence where Serafinowicz hilariously hummed the classic funeral march in his Death voice in response to the text describing Death walking away humming a tune. Details like that in Serafinowicz’s performance, as well as the increased utilisation of Death in this audiobook, really enhanced the overall impact and humour of Mort, and I loved every second I spent listening to it.

The final actor featured in this audiobook is the legendary Bill Nighy, who also has a recurring role in all the new Discworld audiobooks. Nighy has a very important job of narrating all the various footnotes that Pratchett includes in his text, and his gentle voice really brings out the subtle humour hidden in these footnotes. While Nighy doesn’t get much to do in Mort due to author only featuring a few footnotes in this novel, he still makes an impact, and I’ve really enjoyed how expertly he enhances these clever inclusions. Honestly, all three of these narrators did an outstanding job in this new version of Mort, and I deeply appreciated how well their compelling performances blended into one impactful listen. As such, Mort is best enjoyed on audiobook, and whether it be the classic Planer version, or the new one with extended cast, you will have a wonderful time listening to it.

As the above rambling pages no doubt prove, I have a lot of love for Mort which was an excellent early Discworld novel from Terry Pratchett. Featuring some excellent storytelling and fully embracing the clever writing style and comedic charm that made the later Discworld novels so damn awesome, Mort was a brilliant read, and one that proves impossible to put down. An outstanding novel that really shows how impressive Pratchett could be as an author; Mort comes highly recommended and is guaranteed to be enjoyed by any reader.

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The Malevolent Eight by Sebastien de Castell

On July 13, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Comedy/Satire, Fantasy2 Comments

Publisher: Acardia (ebook – 27 May 2025)

Series: Malevolent series – Book Two

Length: 397 pages

Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

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The always entertaining Sebastien de Castell unleashes one of the funniest books of 2025 with the dark fantasy novel, The Malevolent Eight, a compelling and impressive sequel that I couldn’t get enough of.

Over the last couple of years, I have really become attached to the amazing Sebastien de Castell, a leading fantasy author with some outstanding stories under his belt. Known for his impressive and varied stories, including his Greatcoats, Spellslinger and Argosi novels, de Castell has a brilliant imagination, and I love the range of complex settings and narratives he brings to life. Some of my favourite de Castell books are from his recent The Court of Shadows fantasy murder mystery series, which serves as a sequel to his original Greatcoats books. These include the witty and entertaining Play of Shadows (one of my favourite books of 2024) and the particularly clever Crucible of Chaos (one of my favourite audiobooks of 2024), both of which were real highlights of my reading calendar last year. However, for this review I’m going to focus on a far more entertaining series of de Castell’s that I have had a blast with.

This series is the Malevolent collection of books, which contain dark magic, over-the-top characters and ridiculous humour. Starting back in 2023 with The Malevolent Seven, this series followed seven morally questionable mercenary mages who come together into an unlikely team to defeat a group of dangerous wizard brothers. However, their attempt to do the right thing spectacularly backfires on them when they are tricked into allowing the hosts of heaven and hell to simultaneously invade, turning their realm into the battleground for their final war. I ended up having an exceptional time with The Malevolent Seven, and I really got drawn into it’s clever, if outrageous plot. Naturally I was keen to see how the series continued, and the recently released sequel, The Malevolent Eight, has long been on my to-read list.

After a great betrayal, the mortal realm is in peril as the heavenly Lords Celestine and the dark Lords Devilish have simultaneously invaded, determined to fight their long-anticipated final battle on this unclaimed ground. As both sides recruit as many additional human soldiers and followers as they can to their cause, the survival of humanity seems to lie in the hands of an unlikely group of rogue magic users. Unfortunately for everyone involved, humanity’s saviours are the damn fools who caused this calamity in the first place, the insane mages better known as The Malevolent Seven.

At the head of this misfit band is Cade Ombra, a man who has known power and betrayal from both the Celestine and the Devilish and is determined to allow humans to remain free from their dual influences. Forced to work with the most emotionally unstable group of mages and wonderists in the mortal realm, including a destruction-loving lighting slinger, a fallen angel, a righteous devil trying to serve the Celestine, an uncertain blood mage, a roguish rat admirer and their newest member, a vampiric kangaroo, Cade begins to wage a surprisingly moral war on both the Celestine and the Devish.

However, The Malevolent Seven aren’t the only beings attempting to disrupt the plans of the two invading armies. Another group of mages, as well as a mysterious woman from Cade’s past with unimaginable power, are also fighting for their own purposes, and looking good while doing so. Forced to contend against angels, devils, and ambitious mages, Cade will need to outthink all his enemies, while also ensuring that his own chaotic allies don’t make everything even worse. However, the harder he fights, the more Cade begins to realise that he may have to sacrifice everything, especially when it becomes clear that the origin of the apocalypse lies in his gilded past.

De Castell continues to deeply impress with this brilliant, if somewhat unhinged, novel, as The Malevolent Eight was an exceptional dark fantasy sequel that comes very highly recommended. Taking all the comedic craziness from the first book and amping it up to eleven, The Malevolent Eight was a perfect follow-up to de Castell’s previous narrative that takes the reader on an exceptional adventure you just won’t be able to look away from.

After having a ton of fun with the awesome first book in the series, I honestly wasn’t too sure what to expect with The Malevolent Eight’s story. However, not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine just how unhinged, wild and downright insane this sequel’s plot would get as de Castell pumped the narrative all the way up to 11 and beyond. Starting with a fun and particularly bloody sequence that not only reintroduces the unruly protagonists but also showcases the dark scenario that they find themselves in for this book, the readers are quickly thrust into The Malevolent Eight’s plot, and frankly after the first series of crazy events, you find yourself pretty hooked as the self-proclaimed Malevolent Seven’s attempt to fight both the armies of heaven and hell. However, as the story progresses, the unconventional heroes soon find that there are far more dangerous beings involved in this war, including a mysterious mage with previously unknown destiny-altering magic.

Determined to find out more about their new opponent, Cade leads The Malevolent Seven to both the Lords Celestine and Devilish to find out what they know and soon begins to understand his unfortunate role in the outbreak of the apocalypse. After some hilarious interactions with both sets of lords, the protagonists embark on a series of missions, only to encounter betrayals, hidden secrets, the consequences of Cade’s lies, capture, revelations and a surprisingly humorous torture sequence. This leads up to the big conclusion of the story, as the protagonists find themselves in the middle of a battle against three separate sides trying to claim their world for various purposes, all while manipulative figures work from the sidelines. This big finale for The Malevolent Eight gets a little overcomplicate and convoluted, especially as we dive into alternate realms and different realities, but the entire thing is highly entertaining to behold. It finishes off on an interesting conclusion, which has a nice hopeful note to it (especially in comparison to the previous book), while also hinting at some dark events to come. This is an overall quite entertaining and wild story that really highlights de Castell’s creativity and ability to craft over-the-top narratives.

I deeply enjoyed the wonderful style that de Castell utilised in The Malevolent Eight, as the author pulls together a chaotic and hilarious dark fantasy that hits a lot of over-the-top notes at the same time. Perfectly told from the single perspective of main character Cade Ombra, The Malevolent Eight is a balls-to-the-wall blast, loaded with insane action, excessive blood, crazy moments and fantastic humour. De Castell keeps the pace of the story moving pretty fast throughout The Malevolent Eight, and the reader absolutely powers through the fantastic combination of carnage, intrigue, and hidden motivations. Working well as a sequel to the previous book, The Malevolent Eight cleverly returns to the author’s fun setting, which has been drastically altered due to the rival inter-dimensional armies fighting across it. Serving as the perfect background to such an entertaining and oddball dark fantasy narrative, de Castell makes perfect use of the changed setting and existing book history to go all out with his narrative. While a seemingly simple and insane book on the surface, de Castell also adds in some impressive extra depth to the story, including through its complex magic system and the inclusion of several alternate realms that allow or some interesting inclusions from the author’s wider fictional reserves. There is also a great moral greyness to the entire setting, as even the most noble of people or beings in this setting is generally pretty flawed or evil in their own way, and I frankly loved how cynical things got at times.

While this is a rather dark story, loaded with brutal combat and destructive magic, de Castell keeps the overall tone of The Malevolent Eight pretty light thanks to the excellent use of humour. This is an insanely funny book, and while there is a certain subtly to some of the comedy contained within, for the most part de Castell utilises over-the-top scenarios (such as a swearing kangaroo), unhinged dialogue (the one swearword said kangaroo can say) and silly over-reactions for his comedy, which frankly fits the overall crazy feel of The Malevolent Eight. The author gets a consistent amount of humour out of all the crazy antics of his characters, which stays pretty damn funny all the way through and never gets too tiring or overplayed. Highlights of The Malevolent Eight’s humour for me included a very cleverly written demonic contract that spelled out the terms of a deal with the protagonists with some unique caveats, a particularly entertaining torture sequence where the protagonist causes more discomfort for his torturers than himself, ill-timed relationships with the book’s apparent antagonist, and so many crazy conversations between the seemingly sane point-of-view protagonist and every single person he encounters. While I’m slightly salty about de Castell’s description of the Australian accent being “halfway between some poncy foreign nobleman and an inebriated fishmonger” (ok fine, it was pretty funny), this was quite a hilarious read, and I honestly laughed out loud multiple times in public as I read through this crazy comedic book.

One of the things I appreciated about The Malevolent Eight is the way in which de Castell made it accessible to all readers, even though who didn’t read the preceding novel. While those who have checked out The Malevolent Seven are probably going to get the most out of this novel, especially as they can continue the hilarious character arcs from the first book, I feel that new readers can easily jump into The Malevolent Eight without any real context and still follow the story perfectly. Indeed, I quite enjoyed how well de Castell cleverly and effectively recapped the events of the previous book, especially after a two-year gap between reading The Malevolent Seven and The Malevolent Eight. Established de Castell fans will probably appreciate the references to the author’s other series, as a new major character in the novel is from the author’s Spellslinger universe and utilises that series’ unique magic to great effect in this novel. While those readers who have read the Spellslinger books will no doubt find this inclusion really cool, people who are less familiar with this series can still follow The Malevolent Eight’s plot without any issue, especially as the events of the other series don’t really come into play here. As such, I would recommend The Malevolent Eight to any fantasy readers looking for a dark comedic turn, although for the sake of completeness, try The Malevolent Seven first.

As with The Malevolent Seven, this excellent sequel features a fantastic cast of compelling damaged characters whose unique and often quite outrageous stories helped to ensure The Malevolent Eight was an impressive read. Cleverly building on the storylines of the previous book, The Malevolent Eight features the immoral characters who make up titular Malevolent Seven attempting to be heroes in this book, often with mixed results. This includes main protagonist and point-of-view character Cade Ombra, the leader of group and a man with quite a complex past. Shown in the previous book to be a power hunger survivor with a conscience, The Malevolent Eight really dives into his characterisation even further as you look at his past as an arrogant holy warrior and his eventual fall from grace to work with demons. His complex past becomes a key part of The Malevolent Eight’s plot, especially as much of the current issues lie in his past mistakes, and it was quite moving to see Cade attempt to make amends, especially as it gets him into even more trouble. Despite this, Cade is still a massive bastard at times, and his manipulative nature and evil strategic mind are some of his greatest weapons. Serving as the apparent straight man to a group of crazy friends, Cade sees himself as the sole voice of reason in the entire book, and it was fascinating to see his compelling perspective unwind throughout the book, especially when he faces certain realities about his friends and what he must do for redemption.

The rest of the cast of The Malevolent Eight is pretty crazy in comparison to Cade (at least from his perspective), and it was so much fun to see these outrageous personalities interact with each other. My favourite supporting character is still the rude and crude Corrigan Blight, a thunder mage who serves as Cade’s unwieldly second. Despite his outward appearance as an idiot controlled by his element (I mean, he is), Corrigan is a surprisingly deep figure and his ability to act as Cade’s conscious really highlights their great friendship. The rest of the returning members of The Malevolent Seven, which includes a rat mage, a fallen angel, a holy demon and an uncertain blood mage, are slightly less well featured in this book, although de Castell does dive into their uncharacteristic attempts to be heroes, and their always fun interactions as a group allowed for some amazing moments. I also must mention the newest member of team, Temper, a giant, swearing, vampiric kangaroo who has joined the team since the events of the first book. Temper was quite a surprising figure to behold, and de Castell cleverly keeps the kangaroo’s origins somewhat hidden from the reader for much of the plot, allowing you to really enjoy his random presence without thinking too much about it. This main cast was so much fun, and de Castell tops it off with a new magic user from Cade’s dark past with surprising connections to the Spellslinger universe, Cade’s former demonic benefactor whose intrigue, and paella, is to die for, and a variety of high demon lords and celestial beings whose motivations are never black and white. These characters, and more, ensure that The Malevolent Eight is an exceptional read from start to finish, and I deeply enjoyed seeing these crazy characters in action.

Sebastien de Castell was in rare form with his impressive new dark fantasy novel, The Malevolent Eight. A bold sequel that takes all the best elements from the first book and amps them up to a hilarious new height, The Malevolent Eight was an extremely entertaining read, with some brilliant comedic charm that worked well with the damaged characters and very dark fantasy elements. Outrageous and excessive in all the best ways, The Malevolent Eight was such a great read and I couldn’t get enough of de Castell’s latest ultra-fun offering. Make sure to also keep an eye out for de Castell’s other 2025 novel, Our Lady of Blades, later this year, which I strongly feel is going to be even more amazing.

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Midnight Black by Mark Greaney

On June 20, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Thriller3 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 14^th 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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We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

On June 19, 2025 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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Open Season by Jonathan Kellerman

On June 1, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Murder Mystery2 Comments

Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio (6 February 2025)

Series: Alex Delaware – Book 40

Length: 9 hours and 10 minutes

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Still going strong after 40 Alex Delaware crime fiction novels, the always dependable Jonathan Kellerman presents another clever and captivating read with Open Season, an intense novel that proves very hard to put down.

Jonathan Kellerman is an excellent veteran author, whose massive body of work has been impressing crime fiction readers for decades. While he has a couple of big series, Kellerman is best known for his long-running Alex Delaware series, which follows titular protagonist Alex Delaware, a child psychologist, and his best friend, LAPD Lieutenant Milo Sturgis as they investigate unusual or deranged murders around Los Angeles. This is a really great series, and ever since I came across it, I’ve made a major effort to read each new entry, especially as they also provide some great mysteries and complex police investigation narratives. Books like (The Wedding Guest, The Museum of Desire, Serpentine, City of the Dead, Unnatural History and The Ghost Orchid), have all been extremely amazing, and I eagerly await my new Alex Delaware hit at the start of each year. The latest entry in the series, Open Season, is the 40^th Alex Delaware novel, with Kellerman still going strong this far into the series.

Los Angeles is filled with all manner of dreamers and aspiring stars, but when one of them meets a tragic end, it falls to psychologist Alex Delaware and veteran homicide detective Milo Sturgis to find them justice. Called in to investigate the dumping of an aspiring actress’s drugged body near a hospital emergency room, Alex and Milo soon set their sights on a known abuser as a likely culprit. However, their hunt is prematurely ended when their suspect is found murdered, shot by a sniper.

Forced to switch to a new investigation, the two friends and their team are surprised to discover that the execution of the sexual predator is connected to two other unsolved homicides, with both additional victims shot from a distance using the same rifle. Determined to figure out how the cases are linked, the team uncover a web of seemingly unconnected innocent victims, each of whom appeared to have been killed for very different reasons.

With additional bodies starting to pile up around the city, Alex and Milo find themselves in a race to solve the case before more victims can be cut down. But are they facing a dangerous spree killer with no rhyme or reason to their actions, or a darker figure with their own complex rationales for murder? To solve the case and stop the shooter, these two friends will need to use all their combined skills to decipher their strange motivation before even more people wind up dead.

Jonathan Kellerman continues to deeply impress with this new addictive and captivating crime fiction novel that I couldn’t get another off. Featuring another brilliant and unique case, Open Season was an exceptional 40^th entry in the Alex Delaware series that takes the reader down some dark and twisty paths. This was a truly excellent read that I powered through in a very short amount of time.

Open Season was a particularly strong murder mystery from Kellerman, and I loved the compelling, multi-layered narrative that emerged. Once again bringing together his two loveable main characters, Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis, the two initially begin the book by investigating the murder of a young aspiring actress, drugged and dumped near a hospital. Starting off with the typical look at the victim and anyone who knew her, the detectives are quick to narrow in on a suspect, only for the story to take an interesting turn when their potential killer ends up dead. From there the story becomes a lot more complex, as the protagonists and a larger team begin to investigate the shooting of the first suspect, as well as several connected crimes. This allows for a larger story with a ton of distinctive potential witnesses and suspects, and the protagonists investigate in several different directions, adding a lot of different pieces to the puzzle.

Thanks to a series of varied clues, compelling research and additional discovered killings, the protagonists eventual narrow down on a potential suspect with interesting connections to each of the victims. Without giving too much away, I felt that the overall solution for Open Season’s investigation was very clever, and it nicely tied into each of the victims/cases that make up the larger mystery. The motivations for the killer were very unique and memorable, so it proved quite fascinating to see how the protagonists identified the antagonist and led to a great conclusion to the overall story. I particularly enjoyed the final confrontation that the protagonists had with the killer towards the end of the book, and it wrapped the story up perfectly. An overall excellent murder mystery narrative that will have you hooked all the way to the end.

I deeply enjoy Kellerman’s style for the Alex Delaware books and he really knows how to pull together a fascinating and intense police investigation narrative. The author prefers a slow and methodical style of investigation as the protagonists pull together various clues and connections and work them into their various theories, which always adds a great touch of realism to proceedings. There is a particular reliance on diving into the personal histories of the victims and suspects that Kellerman enjoys, which works to drag the reader further into the plot as they become even more invested in the investigations. I felt that Kellerman’s typical style worked particularly well in Open Season, and I loved the complex investigation that emerged. The multiple separate murders and the large array of connected people associated with each case allowed for a particularly elaborate story, and Kellerman carefully allowed his protagonists to explore these different elements allowing for compelling drive to the big conclusion around who was responsible. I felt that Kellerman did an excellent job layering the more important clues around the case throughout the entire story, and it was very interesting to see what discussions or personal details came into play later. I really got invested in Open Season’s complex case as a result, and this proved to be a particularly clever and well written mystery that deeply enhanced Kellerman’s already excellent story.

In addition to the very well-written story, Kellerman features some interesting characters and interactions in Open Season that help to create a unique feel that fans of the Alex Delaware series will be very familiar with. Much of this lies with the two main characters, Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis, who have an established and comfortable way of speaking with each other. These two characters, both of whom are quirky in their own ways, are an excellent centre for the story, and I love how well the play off each other. While their dialogue can be a little unique and occasionally flippant, Kellerman has spent a lot of time developing their patter, and you grow to appreciate the way these two characters work together. In addition to their usual discussions, Open Season also had some more personal interactions between the two, especially when Alex is forced to keep some information from the team to protect the confidence of a medical professional. I also liked how this was one of the Alex Delaware novels where the protagonist got to use his expertise as a psychologist to try to get to the root of the various suspects potential motivations. This psychological work comes into play nicely, especially once they identify who the killer is, and it helped to give Open Season more of a distinctive edge away from other crime fiction reads.

While most of Open Season’s focus is on Alex and Milo, Kellerman also introduces an array of interesting supporting characters, each of whom are connected to the case in some specific way. I really enjoyed the unique collection of characters that emerged, and there are some interesting storylines and connections that emerge thanks to the protagonists constant digging into the past. The characters that get the most attention are some of the victims of the case, whose lives are explored in detail by the detectives. Despite not interacting with the protagonists or readers while alive, you get to know all the victims thanks to interviews with their friends and families. These many detailed interviews not only provide key information about who the victims are and potential motivations for their murders, but they also provide compelling and emotional testimony from those that loved them, which ensures that the reader becomes very invested in finding out who killed them. You also meet a compelling group of people connected to the victims, who serve as witnesses, sources of information or suspects (sometimes all at once) in the case. Due to the nature of Open Season’s story, you meet quite a few supporting characters, often for only a scene or two. Kellerman makes these appearances count, though, and I liked some of the unique interactions that occurred, even if some of these characters were a little weird or had an unrealistic way of communicating. The eventually revealed killer was particularly outrageous when eventually revealed, which I personally thought was very entertaining, although I could see some readers finding him to be too over-the-top. Still, all these characters added something to the plot, and I enjoyed the effective way in which Kellerman introduced and utilised them throughout the book.

While I usually try to get physical copies of the Alex Delaware novels, for Open Season I ended up listening to the audiobook version, which I felt was an excellent way to enjoy this amazing book. I personally find that the audiobook format does wonders for helping readers appreciate detailed and multilayered crime fiction narratives and Open Season was a great example of this, as I soon got drawn into every level of the author’s compelling mystery. Part of the reason this worked so well was narrator John Rubinstein, who has lent his voice to a large chunk of the Alex Delaware series. Rubinstein has a fun voice that lends itself to the occasionally zanier style of the Alex Delaware books and really brings the author’s complex narratives to life. I especially enjoy how Rubinstein perfectly captures the characters featured in Open Season, including the main protagonists, Alex and Milo. A great example of this is the very distinctive voice that Rubinstein utilises for Milo, which really captures the man’s complex and entertaining nature, and frankly I don’t know any other way how this character could be voiced. The narrator also successfully captures the distinctive patter that the two main protagonists have between each other, and the way conversation flows between them in the audiobook is a ton of fun. The various other characters featured with Open Season are also well represented, and I loved the colourful array of voices and accents that Rubinstein utilises for the supporting cast and various witnesses that protagonists encounter. While a few of these voices are a little over-the-top, I personally liked them, and I felt it fit the long-running and distinctive series tone extremely well. This exceptional narration allowed me to absolutely power through Open Season’s roughly nine-hour long run time, and I had such a blast picking up every single clue or compelling character interaction in this format. As such, I would strongly recommend the audiobook version of Open Season to anyone interested in checking this mystery out, and I can personally guarantee it makes for great entertainment on a long trip.

Even after all these years, Jonathan Kellerman still shines as one of the masters of the crime fiction genre. The 40^th Alex Delaware novel, Open Season, was an outstanding addition to the series, and I love the compelling and awesome narrative that emerged. Slick, addictive and featuring some interesting twists, Open Season was a truly impressive read, and I am still having so much fun with Jonathan Kellerman’s incredible books.

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Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland

On April 16, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Fantasy8 Comments

Publisher: Recorded Books/Zaffe (Audiobook – 7 January 2025)

Series: The Broken Blades – Book Two

Length: 13 hours and 31 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

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One of the hottest fantasy sequels of 2025 is the impressive Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland, that once again follows an entertaining band of killers and self-interested liars as they get drawn into dark events that threaten their entire world.

Last year I had the pleasure of reading the outstanding debut Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland. The first book in Corland’s Broken Blades trilogy and one of my favourite debuts of 2024, Five Broken Blades was an impressive fantasy novel with some great Korean aesthetics that followed five deadly killers who are recruited to kill the king of Yusan and steal the magical crown that makes him invulnerable. However, their planned assassination and heist becomes complicated by secrets, treachery and the fact that each member of the group had hidden motivations for being there. Corland provided a pretty wonderful story for this first book, loaded with betrayals, lies and compelling character-driven perspective chapters, and I loved the great twist at the end that saw the protagonists captured and forced to engage in a new heist. As such, I have been eagerly awaiting the sequel since last year, especially as I couldn’t wait to see how Four Ruined Realms resolved the awesome cliffhanger Corland left the first book on.

The group known as the Blades are five of the best killers, liars and thieves in the kingdom of Yusan. Made up of a master spy, a beautiful poison-maiden, a murderous banished prince, a lethal thug and a mysterious thief, the Blades were hired to pull off an impossible task: kill Yusan’s God King Joon and steal his crown. Each of the killers had a reason for becoming involved with the plot, as well as their own dark secrets that drove them onwards. However, all of them underestimated Joon’s manipulations and greed, as the entire job was a ploy from the King to bring them together and evaluate their skills.

Captured and forced by bribes and threats to accept a new mission, the Blades now find themselves journeying to the neighbouring nation of Khitan, which has long resisted the armies of Yusan. Ruled over by Joon’s vengeful sister, Quilimar, Khitan remains free thanks to the power of the Golden Ring of the Dragon Lord, one of five legendary magical treasures gifted to the ruling houses of the rival realms. Determined to possess all the treasures, Joon gives the Blades one month to steal the ring and return it to him. If they succeed, they will have everything they desire, but if they fail, then they and everyone they love will be killed.

Arriving in Khitan, the Blades find dangerous enemies all around, an impossible theft before them and their once cohesive group fractured thanks to their uncovered lies. But even with their conflicting motivations and secrets out in the open, these killers can all agree on one thing: King Joon is their true enemy. Determined to fight back, the Blades embark on a mission to gain an audience with Quilimar and find a way to use Khitan’s resources to defeat Joon. However, there is a darker conspiracy at play within the borders of Khitan, and the Blades have once again underestimated the lengths their enemies will go to win. Worse, each of the band still has secrets, and soon a new set of lies will tear them apart from within.

Four Ruined Realms was another exceptional fantasy novel from Corland that effortlessly drags you in with its fun action, compelling story, doomed romances and outstanding and damaged protagonists. Perfectly telling a massive, multi-character narrative, Four Ruined Realms was a very worthy sequel to Five Broken Blades that proved very hard to put down.

Corland set forth another complex and emotionally charged narrative in Four Ruined Realms, and I loved how well she continued after the cool cliffhanger ending of the first book. Taking place right in the aftermath of the betrayals and lies of Five Broken Blades, Four Ruined Realms begins just as the Blades arrive in Khitan and are forced to work together to survive and secure the prize, despite the complete lack of trust and the anger brought about by their revealed secrets. Corland works a lot of great character development into these early chapters, as the book flits between the protagonists and showcases their respective mindsets. There is a good blend of early planning, espionage, and personal issues, as the protagonists try to work together, while also maintaining additional secrets that they know will tear the group apart. The first part of the book features some very fun sequences, especially when the male protagonists depart on an expedition for knowledge, while the girls attend a party that ends in turmoil. At the same time, there are hints of a bigger conspiracy beneath the surface of the new realm they are in, and Corland provides some interesting clues that perfectly come into play later.

As Four Ruined Realms continues, Corland enhances the book by including more chapters from the perspective of returning protagonist Tiyung. Tiyung, while a perspective character in Five Broken Blades, only had a relatively minor point-of-view role, so it was interesting to see him as more of an equal protagonist in the sequel. His storyline of being stuck in a notorious prison back in Yusan proved to be particularly compelling, especially as he gets to interact with two of the book’s best supporting characters. Tiyung’s storyline blends well with that of the main protagonists, and thanks to the simultaneous timeline, you get to see him react to the events occurring over in Khitan and find out secrets that have potential impacts on how the Blades succeed in their task.

The second half of the book primarily details the Blades’ attempts to learn more about Khitan and find a way to get an audience with its queen. Their plans to achieve this see them once again split up into dramatic groupings, and you get some interesting adventures and interactions as a result, especially as all the powerful emotions come to the surface. It also perfectly sets up the final massive sequence of Four Ruined Realms, which really delivered in both action and tragedy. While I don’t want to spoil too much, readers will come away from this novel pretty heartbroken, and there are some very intense moments going on in the last third of the book. Combined with a series of final reveals and twists, all of which are nicely foreshadowed by earlier subtle inclusions from the author, you come away from Four Ruined Realms both moved and extra excited to see how the series is going to come to an end.

As with the first book in the series, Corland sets Four Ruined Realms out in a fantastic manner, and I deeply enjoyed how the complex narrative came across. The use of six separate perspective characters was a major highlight as it allowed for a multi-layered narrative with a focus on character development and interactions. The author did an outstanding job of balancing the different perspectives, with all the protagonists getting their chance to shine in their respective chapters, and even the increased use of Tiyung didn’t throw this out of whack. Indeed, Tiyung’s chapters honestly pulled the other perspectives together into a tight and captivating overarching narrative, as the inclusion of an outsider character viewing events from afar increased the complexity of the plot.

The author makes full use of the book’s alternating viewpoints to insert a lot of great story elements into the plot, so there is a little something for everyone here. The constant intrigue and danger that the protagonists found themselves in was well balanced by the author’s excellent worldbuilding, while the cool action scenes are guaranteed to get anyone’s blood pumping. There are also multiple romance subplots that none of the protagonists are immune to. While not a full-on romantasy novel, a good chunk of the book is focused on the complicated relationships that have formed between various protagonists, which will appeal to some readers, especially as the doomed nature of many of these romantic affairs leads to some excellent drama and heightened personal tensions. While there were a few more romantic subplots than I typically enjoy in a fantasy novel, I felt that Corland got the right equilibrium here, with the focus on relationships and failed love enhanced the main fantasy intrigue elements of the plot rather than distracting from them.

Four Ruined Realms proved to be a very worthy sequel to Five Broken Blades, and I really enjoyed how effectively the author continued her elaborate storylines and continued to build up her great characters. Corland uses this book to substantially expand the overarching setting of the series, including exploring a second realm and diving into the larger politics of the world. The primary new setting, Khitan, worked extremely well as a background to the story, especially as its history and inherent intrigue played nicely into the chaotic mission of the protagonists and the plots surrounding it. While I loved how the narrative continued in this sequel, readers should be warned that Four Ruined Realms isn’t necessary the best place to dive into the Broken Blades books, primarily because it is the second entry in a complex ongoing fantasy series. While Corland does a great job of recapping the key events of the first book throughout Four Ruined Realms to make it accessible to newcomers, readers should really start at the start of the trilogy as it will give you the full emotional impact, especially when it comes to the character arcs. Still, there is plenty for everyone to enjoy here, and I feel that Four Ruined Realms was a great book and sequel for readers new or returning.

As with the first book in this trilogy, the element that really ensures Four Ruined Realms stands out was its well-crafted main characters through whose eyes we see the narrative unfold. Corland brings back all six protagonists from the first novel, made up of Royo, Sora, Euyn, Mikail, Aeri and Tiyung, and features them as equal parts of the plot. After exploring their tragic backstories in Five Broken Blades, Corland spends this second novel diving into the drama and turmoil caused by the events of the first book, including the reveal of their darkest secrets and hidden motivations. This brings out a lot of mistrust, antagonism and broken romances, which works to create quite a turbulent and entertaining plot. I really appreciated how well each of these protagonists came through as a result, and it was fascinating to see their next set of secrets and hidden concerns, especially the deeper you get into their new mission.

Of the six, Royo, Mikail and Tiyung probably had the best arcs in Four Ruined Realms. Royo continues to be the loveable, tough street thug with a past, and his more straightforward approach to life and honest need for redemption are quite refreshing amongst the rest of the schemers in the group. Mikail, the dark spy master, proves to be the book’s ultimate badass, and his entertaining persona, complex backstory, and conflicted opinions about his love interest Euyn, ensure that he is one of the better perspectives in Four Ruined Realms, especially as he continues to mislead and lie to everyone. Tiyung, as I mentioned above, gets much more of a chance to shine in this sequel, and his transformation from spoiled rich kid to starving prisoner ensures you get a better look at his character. A genuinely good person, Tiyung continues to rise above his family legacy here, and his narrative of prison life and unexpected connections was a true highlight of the book.

The rest of the Four Ruined Realms protagonists also had some excellent moments, and I really appreciated their storylines. Euyn, the fugitive prince of Yusan, has a troubled time in this sequel, primarily as he has the most paranoia and mistrust after the events of the first book. This leads to a lot of conflict, and Euyn’s character growth from the first book starts to reverse in places as he seeks fights and alienates his allies. However, Corland works this conflict into an excellent overarching narrative for Euyn, with its resolution being a key part of the plot. I also felt that Sora, the beautiful and deadly poison-maiden, had a great arc in this sequel, especially as she loses her confidence and her killing edge, becoming the group’s conscience. The final protagonist, Aeri, is my least favourite, although she ties the central cast together nicely. The secret child of the main antagonist Joon and the group’s traitor in the first book, Aeri is the most mistrusted protagonist, despite being in the same boat as the rest of the Blades, and spends much of Four Ruined Realms trying to prove herself again. While her storyline is really interesting and an essential part of the overall plot, I still didn’t connect with Aeri. I’m not sure if this is because of how she is written, or because of the narrator assigned to Aeri’s chapters, but I feel that there is a huge disconnect between Aeri and the other protagonists which makes her not quite fit in, especially with her overly manic (and horny) personality. Still, she does have some great moments in Four Ruined Realms, and it will be very interesting to see where Aeri and her doomed romance ends up. Throw in an array of excellent supporting figures, including outstanding and ruthless antagonists, and this proves to be an amazing overall cast, whose layered roles and interactions helps to turn Four Ruined Realms into quite an exceptional read.

As with the first book in the series, I chose to listen to the audiobook version of Four Ruined Realms, especially after Five Broken Blades came across so epically on the format. Unsurprisingly, the sequel was just as impressive on audiobook with Four Ruined Realms also featuring talented narrators, Greg Chun, Zion Jang, Roger Yeh, Donald Chang, Jaine Ye and Sophie Oda, each of whom voiced the chapters of a particular character. These multiple narrators worked wonders to tell Four Ruined Realms’s elaborate character-driven story, and I loved how each of them inhabited the role of their respective protagonist. All the narrators really impressed me in Four Ruined Realms and thanks to the even spread of chapters between characters, they all got a chance to shine. There was a fantastic array of voices featured in each chapter, and we get to hear several differing tones for the same characters throughout the course of the audiobook. I will admit that the narration for Aeri’s chapters still didn’t quite seem to fit the tone of the rest of the audiobook, but the other chapters more than made up for it, and I really enjoyed some of the elaborate and varied voices that emerged. Featuring a 13-and-a-half-hour runtime, this was a quicker audiobook to get through than Five Broken Blades, and it ended up being a wonderful way to appreciate Corland’s fantastic story. As such, this format comes very highly recommended for Four Ruined realms, and I am currently planning to finish this series off on audiobook.

With even more betrayals, secrets and tragedy, Four Ruined Realms was another exceptional novel from Mai Corland, who is really starting to impress me as an author. An outstanding sequel to Five Broken Blades, Four Ruined Realms perfectly continues the trilogy’s captivating narrative, and you won’t be prepared for all the cool twists, turns and major moments. A brilliant and moving fantasy novel with some dramatic character moments, Four Ruined Realms was such a good book and I’m so very glad I continued this fantastic series. I cannot wait to see how this trilogy concludes, and luckily the final book, Three Shattered Souls, is out in July.

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Warhammer 40,000: Interceptor City by Dan Abnett

On April 5, 2025July 8, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer5 Comments

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 22 February 2025)

Series: Sabbat World Crusades/Warhammer 40,000

Length: 15 hours and 35 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Take to the skies once more as legendary Warhammer 40,000 author Dan Abnett presents another ambitious and rip-roaring novel of dogfights and explosive characters in the incredible novel, Interceptor City.

Dan Abnett is an author who I have mentioned multiple times in this blog, primarily because he is one of the best and most prolific writers of Warhammer fiction. Abnett’s impressive work is a substantial pillar of the extended Warhammer 40,000 universe, especially with his entries in the Horus Heresy range, as well as his own various unique series, several of which are amongst some of my very favourite pieces of Warhammer 40,000 fiction. This includes his outstanding Eisenhorn novels (Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus), his long-running Gaunt’s Ghosts books (First and Only, Ghostmaker, Necropolis, Honour Guard, The Guns of Tanith, Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr), as well as gripping standalone titles like Titanicus. However, one of his very best books is the exceptional Double Eagle, for which Abnett has just released a sequel.

Double Eagle was an incredible novel first released in 2004 that sought to add a new, unique vantage point to the author’s Sabbat Worlds Crusade, the massive, multi-planet war served as a background the Gaunt’s Ghosts books. Double Eagle followed members of a regiment of fighter pilots as they sought to control the skies above the Sabbat Worlds. An intense, beautifully written, character-driven novel, Double Eagle got an easy five-star rating from me thanks to its outstanding and epic dogfights and examples of fighter-on-fighter combat. Double Eagle was easily one of the best Warhammer books I have ever read, and I was very excited to find out that Abnett was finally releasing a sequel.

The Emperor protects, the Aeronautica remembers!

It has been more than 20 years since the battle to save Enothis and the Sabbat Worlds Crusade continues to rage, with millions of soldiers from the Imperium of Man fighting and dying to claim the planets from the arch-enemies grasp. For some the crusade seems like a distant event, but for those on the scarred planet of Lysander, war is a daily occurrence, especially as the air forces of Chaos constantly seek to destroy the Imperial defenders with massive bomber flights. The latest front of this campaign is the ruined hive city of Vesperus, which the enemy is using as cover to launch bombing attacks where the Imperials least expect it. In response, the fighter pilots of the Aeronautica Imperialis have been ordered to secure the destroyed spires and massive building and turn Vesperus into a city of interceptors.

Into this precarious warzone flies former famed fighter pilot Bree Jagdea. No longer the heroic ace who led her squadron to victory on Enothis, Jagdea now only pilots cargo haulers, determined to stay out the fighting. However, an encounter with an old comrade leads her back into danger when she agrees to help the war effort by driving a needed replacement fighter to the Circus 66 squadron, currently serving in the ruins of Vesperus. Planning to leave immediately after dropping off her precious cargo, Jagdea instead finds herself conscripted to join the ranks of the squadron as they face overwhelming odds against massed opposition from the forces of Chaos.

With no way out of the fight, Jagdea must once again contend against opponents in the sky if she wants survive and escape this new hellish posting. However, this is not the air combat she is familiar with, instead the fighting in Vesperus is a cramped and deadly affair as their fighter aircraft must fight amongst the devastated and towering buildings of the Hive, where even the slightest error could result in death. Forced to adapt to the new urban conditions Jagdea attempts to bring out her former skills and talent to survive the enemy all around her. But with mysterious deaths haunting the squadron and the addictive thrill of danger once again luring her in, can Jagdea once again become a hero, or will she finally face her fate in the sky?

Well damn, now that’s how you do a sequel! Dan Abnett continues to showcase why he is one of the very best authors of Warhammer fiction with the exceptional Interceptor City. A particularly intense and captivating read that brings back one of Abnett’s best protagonists, Interceptor City was everything I hoped it would be, and more, as this novel simply blew me away. One of my new favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels, Interceptor City gets a very easy five-star rating from, and I love the unique direction Abnett took this long-awaited sequel.

I have so much love for the narrative in Interceptor City, especially as Abnett decided to provide something very special for this sequel. Abnett could have produced another open-skied flying story set right after the events of Double Eagle, and this probably would have been good enough to keep most Warhammer fans happy. Instead, the author decided to raise the stakes in a big way by producing a deep and intense character-driven novel that brings back and focusses solely on a traumatised and retired version of his previous novel’s protagonist 20 years after the events of the first book, and places them into an impossible combat situation amongst suffocating spires and devastated city blocks to produce some outstanding action.

Told exclusively from the point of view of protagonist Bree Jagdea, Interceptor City went in some very interesting directions that bring the reader quickly into the fray. Effectively setting up the unique situation on Lysander and Jagdea’s current emotional state, the story soon introduces some of the key supporting characters, before bringing Jagdea to the thick of the fighting in the devastated hive city of Vesperus. Forced by circumstances to once again fly in combat, Jagdea finds herself in a new craft alongside an insane group of pilots trying to survive against impossible odds. This results in the powerful main body of the plot as the traumatised Jagdea attempts to survive in an array of lethal fights amongst the massive, destroyed buildings of the Vesperus hive.

Abnett works in some incredible aerial sequences throughout Interceptor City, and you really become absorbed in the elaborate flying duels amongst the ruined buildings. There is a great character-driven story here as Jagdea remembers her old instincts and slowly adapts to the new flying conditions she is forced to fight in. At the same time as the brilliant action sequences, Jagdea also gets to know the other eccentric members of her new squadron, and there are some amazing character moments as she tries to understand their desperation, insanity and unique methods, while also trying to improve the survival rate of the less experienced pilots. The flying scenes get more intense as the plot continues, especially as Jagdea regains her confidence, and you begin to understand more of the squadron’s madnesses. There are some truly impressive story moments here, including a harrowing survival sequences and multiple complex aerial fights, that are cleverly worked together into one coherent and compelling plot. Thanks to a great subplot, the later part of the book has a darker edge of mystery that requires to protagonist to try and understand the deeper motivations of the supporting cast. While the solution of this mystery is somewhat obvious, it proves to be very well set up, and Abnett utilises it to masterfully increase the novel’s tension and stakes. Interceptor City ends on a dark but fun note, as Abnett bucks against the expected final confrontation and allows the protagonist to end events on her own terms in a very over-the-top fashion. This proved to be an extremely addictive narrative that really dives into the heart of the protagonist and provides some powerful and action-packed moments.

I loved this amazing Warhammer 40,000 novel, and I felt that Abnett presented it in such an impressive way. Cleverly settling in as a standalone novel amongst the author’s other Sabbat World Crusade books, Interceptor City features a somewhat different style from Double Eagle, which works to make this sequel stand out on its own. Rather than the extensive, multiple viewpoints that Double Eagle featured, Interceptor City is told exclusively from the perspective of the damaged protagonist Bree Jagdea. While this does mean that you don’t get the full-picture war story that made Double Eagle cool, it allowed Abnett to really dive into his impressive protagonist’s story and showcase her personality and emotional state. This ensured that this sequel was a particularly powerful and complex read, especially as Jagdea is a shadow of her former self after burning out as a pilot and crashing at her peak. Now back into the cockpit, Jagdea is forced to come to terms with her own fears and doubt, as well as try the legacy of her past actions. Abnett did an exceptional dive into Jagdea’s mind throughout Interceptor City, and he utilised the sole viewpoint to really explore her fears, hopes and the reasons behind her retirement. This proved to be quite exceptional, and while readers are advised to read Double Eagle first to see this protagonist at her flying peak, new readers can easily dive into Interceptor City and appreciate its powerful emotional heart. Throw in an over-the-top cast of eccentric pilots and killers with some additional complex and fascinating stories that the protagonist gets to know and trust, and Interceptor City has an impressive amount of character work that I found really fascinating. Abnett layers this was a very grimdark tone, which allows the reader to full appreciate the desperate situation the protagonists are, and readers come away with an intense and impressive appreciation for the story.

While the great writing and the impressive focus on the protagonist’s mind ensures Interceptor City had an amazing story, the true highlight of this book is the outstanding depictions of aerial combat. Abnett somehow managed to exceed his various impressive aerial sequences from Double Eagle in this sequel, and the resulting scenes of fighter-on-fight combat were so damn impressive, especially as the author describes them in exceptional detail. The change of scenery from open skies to cramped urban flight conditions was extremely smart, and it ensured that Interceptor City’s flight scenes really stood out. While the protagonist isn’t facing the overwhelming numbers of enemy fighters she encountered in Double Eagle, she is now forced to deal with small groups of skilled pilots amongst the wreckage of Vesperus, flying at impossible speed where even the slightest mistake could lead to death. This results in some extremely nerve-wracking and claustrophobic sequences, as the protagonist tries to simultaneously fight and survive the dangerous environment she is flying through. These fight sequences were so damn cool, and I loved how Abnett slowly improved the protagonist’s performance with each flight to reflect her growing confidence and mastery of the new location. It is honestly impossible to stop reading Interceptor City during any of these sequences, especially the massive high-stakes ones at the end, and I frankly could not believe how Abnett made the dogfights and flying scenes even more epic in this outstanding sequel.

As is my preference with all things Warhammer, I chose to check out Interceptor City on audiobook rather than seeking out a physical copy. Warhammer audiobooks are so damn good, and I love how well the elaborate and dangerous Warhammer 40,000 setting comes across when it is read out by a skilled narrator. Abnett’s Warhammer 40,000 novels are a great example of this, as his compelling character and intense, tailored action really comes across on audiobook, especially in the hands of one of my favourite narrators Toby Longworth. Longworth, who has lent his voice to most of Abnett’s books, really understands the best way to present the author’s fantastic narratives, and I love his cool take on all his Warhammer novels. This was particularly true with Interceptor City, as Longworth did a masterful job bringing this complex tale to life, moving the main plot along at a quick pace and ensuring the action sequences were as epic as possible. The passionate way he reads out the complex dogfights is just brilliant, and I found myself getting more and more drawn into these scenes as Longworth effortlessly vocalises every turn of the fighter and every lethal explosion in a tense and powerful manner. You really got a sense of the protagonist’s desperation and the claustrophobic flying conditions she experienced thanks to this narration, and I was honestly on the edge of my seat for some of these outstanding sequences. Throw in Longworth’s great array of compelling voices, which perfectly match the character they are assigned to, unique space accents and all, and the full impact of this amazing Warhammer 40,000 novel really comes out in the audiobook format. Coming in with a run time of 15 and a half hours, Interceptor City is an epic audiobook to get drawn into, and I powered through this format in no time at all. I actually wished it was a longer audiobook, it was that much fun, and as such I cannot recommend this format enough.

Dan Abnett was once again on fire with this exceptional and impossibly impressive Warhammer 40,000 novel. A worthy sequel with its own incredible narrative, Interceptor City was a blast from start to finish and I had such a great time getting through this ambitious read. Powerful, exciting, and loaded with some of the best Warhammer action sequences you are likely to read, Interceptor City comes highly recommended, and this might be one of my new favourite books. I cannot wait to see what awesome Warhammer 40,000 novel Abnett writes next, and I hope we don’t have to wait another 20 years to see a new aerial adventure from this amazing author.

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Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz

On March 10, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Five-Star Books, Thriller4 Comments

Publisher: Michael Joseph (Trade Paperback – 18 February 2025)

Series: Orphan X – Book 10

Length: 493 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of my favourite thriller authors, Gregg Hurwitz, returns with a powerful and particularly addictive new entry in his Orphan X series with the emotionally charged and pulse-pounding read, Nemesis.

Gregg Hurwitz is an author I have had a wonderful time enjoying over the last few years, primarily thanks to his exceptional Orphan X books. Following former government assassin Evan Smoak, formerly known as Orphan X, this compelling thriller series explores Smoak’s vigilante actions as the Nowhere Man, a source of lethal justice for those who can’t get help anywhere else. I started reading these books several years ago with the amazing fourth entry, Out of the Dark, which saw the protagonist go to war with a corrupt US President, and I have been hooked ever since, grabbing every subsequent entry in the series. This includes the outstanding novels Into the Fire, Prodigal Son, Dark Horse, The Last Orphan and Lone Wolf, each of which did an intriguing job of continuing the series while also exploring Hurwitz’s complex protagonist and his unlikely family. I really enjoyed all these books, and I have been eagerly awaiting the 10^th novel, Nemesis, for a while now, especially as it promised to follow on from the intriguing cliff-hanger at the end of Lone Wolf.

No greater friend. No worse enemy.

Evan Smoak, the Nowhere Man, has spent years taking on impossible vigilante missions, while also keeping his former government owners at bay. No matter how hard the mission, Smoak always succeeds, in no small part to the group of loyal friends who have his back. But Evan is about to discover the sad truth that it’s those closest to you that can cause you the most pain.

After foiling a lethal assassin with a penchant for taking out innocent bystanders, Evan is disturbed to discover that the assassin’s weapons were sourced from his trusted comrade and armourer, Tommy Stojack. Shocked and determined to get answers, an emotionally compromised Evan finds himself unwilling to forgive Tommy for his lapse in moral code, and the two strong-willed warriors soon find themselves at odds. When Evan’s next attempt to talk sees him ambushed by a flurry of thugs and shooters, he decides that it’s time to go to war, even if that means killing his best friend.

However, Tommy has his own problems to deal with. Receiving a call for help from the son of an old war buddy, Tommy travels to a dying American town, filled with anger, corruption and racial tension. Attempting to honour his debts, Tommy finds himself mentoring a group of neglected and angry young men whose uninformed actions have led to tragedy. However, Tommy’s seemingly simple mission soon turns deadly when Evan arrives in town and takes issue with the actions of those under Tommy’s protection. Thrown into opposite moral paths and plagued by assassins, local troubles and their own substantial personal issues, Evan and Tommy find themselves in conflict, with everyone around them caught in the crossfire.

Hurwitz continues to shine as one of the premier authors of thriller fiction with this particularly intense and complex entry in his Orphan X series. Featuring a compelling plot loaded with action and captivating character moments, Nemesis was an addictive read that hits the reader hard and never gives them a chance to recover. This was probably one of my favourite Orphan X books so far, and thanks to Hurwitz’s brilliant writing, I have very little choice but to give Nemesis a full five-star rating.

I was really impressed with the plot for Nemesis, which honestly went in some compelling directions that I didn’t expect, but which provides great closure and intense character moments, while also loaded up with the series’ trademark action. Following on from Lone Wolf, Nemesis sees a preoccupied protagonist, Evan Smoak, distracted and distressed by the revelations that his best friend and armourer Tommy Stojack supplied weapons to a deadly assassin who killed multiple innocent people in the previous book. Forced by his moral code into a confrontation, Evan finds himself in conflict with a stubborn and unapologetic Tommy. However, what starts as a major disagreement between friends turns into a full-on war, when the two find themselves on different sides of an ethical fence, while also fending off assassins and killers after Tommy.

Hurwitz paced this narrative out extremely well, with a great intro and an early action set piece that worked to showcase the protagonist’s emotional instability. The initial confrontation between Evan and Tommy sparks up the intensity of the plot, and the reader becomes engaged in seeing how the conflict between them will continue, especially after the second sequence forces Evan to fight for his life. The author then takes the book in a very interesting direction, as Tommy journeys to a small town in heartland America to help the son of an old comrade and finds himself mentoring a group of young want-to-be militia members who have gotten into trouble. Hurwitz spends a lot of time focusing on Tommy’s attempts to guide the group and trying to gently resolve the dark things they have done.

While this journey to middle-America initially seemed an odd choice for plot progression, Hurwitz utilises it perfectly to showcase Tommy’s character and the differences in approach and personality between him and Evan. Conflict inevitably emerges when Evan arrives and attempts to solve matters in a black-and-white manner, forcing Tommy to intervene. This provides even greater emotional turmoil, and I loved how well the author set it out. You find yourself getting really drawn into the nuanced situation that emerges, and I loved seeing the alternating methods and personalities of the two protagonists. After an impressive action sequence where Evan and Tommy come together one time to face off against a scary group of assassins, Hurwitz sets up the book’s final confrontations, which are loaded with some brilliant moments that pushes both main characters to the edge. I deeply enjoyed how Hurwitz resolved the entire situation, and you are on the edge of your seat the entire time, which results in a particularly addictive read. I honestly was very satisfied with this book, right up to the final twist, which was impactful and clever, but for which I may never forgive Hurwitz. This was easily one of Hurwitz’s best narratives, and I really appreciated the complex, character-driven thriller storyline he envisioned for this latest Orphan X book.

Hurwitz did an exceptional job bringing Nemesis’s complex and captivating narrative together, and I honestly feel that this is some of his best writing. Featuring a fantastic continuation of the ongoing series, Nemesis had the perfect blend of action, intrigue and character-focused drama, which allowed for quite an addictive read. The various action sequences scattered throughout the book are intense, brutal and very-well put together, and I loved how they showcase the various moods of the protagonist, as we go from his usual smooth sequences to more frenetic fights when he is emotionally compromised. While these typical thriller elements are a lot of fun, it is the focus on the characters and the intense emotions between them that makes Nemesis particularly impressive. Hurwitz sometimes struggles with the balance between action and character development, but I felt that this one was perfect, especially as he featured an array of damaged figures, including two former best friends in deep conflict. While I do think that Nemesis could have gone without another manufactured conflict between Evan and his ward, Joey, for the most part it was exceptional to see the various character interactions and dives into the protagonist’s psyche that emerged. This blended extremely well with the overarching thriller narrative and the fantastic action of the plot, and resulted in a particularly powerful read that, while more emotionally charged than most thrillers, worked extremely well in the context of this series. I really appreciated how carefully Hurwitz set out these elements in Nemesis, and there is really something for everyone here including some thought-provoking discussions, awesome action scenes, and some major emotional moments that will hit you hard and really stick with you.

As with most books in the Orphan X series, Nemesis can be read as a standalone novel, as Hurwitz does an excellent job of recapping key events, elements and characters from the previous novels for new readers. I personally felt that to get the full emotional impact of Nemesis, readers really need to have read some of the previous books in the series first. Not only does the cause of the key conflict of Nemesis occur in the previous novel, Lone Wolf, but seeing just how close the emotionally shuttered Evan is with Tommy ensures you understand the emotional stakes of Nemesis and how far apart these two former friends have gotten. However, if you decide to make Nemesis your first entry in the Orphan X series, you’ll still be in for an amazing treat, and I feel that Hurwitz features enough context and recaps to allow any reader to enjoy Nemesis. This honestly was a very impressive book in the Orphan X series, and it will be very interesting to see where Hurwitz goes with this next. The author has set up some big emotional hurdles for the next novel, and I look forward to seeing how his protagonist overcomes them.

As I have mentioned a few times above, I felt that Hurwitz’s character work was the element that made Nemesis particularly exceptional. Not only does Hurwitz cleverly build on a range of existing character storylines and developments from the previous book but he also introduces several compelling one-off characters whose interactions with the main cast make for some impressively powerful moments. Naturally a lot of the development is reserved for series protagonist Evan Smoak, the former government assassin turned vigilante. Evan has always been an exceptionally complex character due to his unusual upbringing, lack of emotional awareness and OCD, and many books have dealt with his inability to deal with other people in his life. Hurwitz does an excellent job revisiting that here in Nemesis as Evan faces another emotional hurdle when he is forced to come into conflict with his one true friend. The emotional stress this puts him under turns him into a bit more of a deranged and careless creature. The fantastic emotional range showed by Evan in Nemesis was fascinating, and Hurwitz writes some great story moments around his anger, poor judgement and strict moral code. Few Orphan X books have pushed the protagonist in more ways than Nemesis, and I honestly felt every emotional bruise that occurred in this book, including the final one that is going to have some major repercussions for the protagonist.

Aside from Evan, the main character of Nemesis was the protagonist’s former friend turned opposing figure, Tommy Stojack. Tommy, the gruff and cantankerous old soldier, has always been one of the more entertaining characters in the Orphan X books, and it has always been fun to see the unlikely friendship between him and Evan. Given a much larger role in Nemesis, Tommy serves as a secondary protagonist and major point of view character, which really suits him. I deeply enjoyed seeing more of Tommy’s perspective, especially as it is starkly different to Evans. His interactions with many of the supporting characters of Nemesis really help to showcase his personality and mindset, especially when he takes on a stern mentor role for several younger characters. However, it is the intense and strained relationship with Evan that is the major highlight of this book, as Hurwitz provides a compelling deep dive into their friendship. Thanks to both characters pride and belief that they are right, the two face off several times in this book, proving that friends really make the worse enemies. I really appreciate how well Hurwitz used Tommy in Nemesis, and the emotionally charged circumstances that surround his inclusion help to deeply enhance this book.

Aside from Evan and Tommy, there is a very fun and intriguing supporting cast in Nemesis who add to the story in some compelling ways. Evan’s ward, Joey Morales, is her usual fun, rebel self, and while I think some of her conflicts with Evan are a little unnecessary, I liked her continued coming-of-age storylines, as well as a fun scene she has with Orphan V. I felt that the highlight of the supporting characters was a small group of rebellious, angry young men who Tommy chooses to look out for. Although they’re a hard group of characters to initially like, Hurwitz provides some fascinating context to their actions as the story continues. I really appreciate the intelligent social commentary that Hurwitz featured around these characters, and you end up feeling a little sorry for them, despite what they have done. Throw in some great villains, including four related assassins who are honestly quite freaky in their appearances, and this was an outstanding cast of characters, whose complex and captivating personal stories and interactions ensure that Nemesis is a particularly powerful read.

The always impressive Gregg Hurwitz continues his Orphan X series in incredible manner with Nemesis. An exception and memorable entry in this always fun series, Nemesis had a brilliant and emotionally charged narrative behind it, loaded with amazing character moments. Guaranteed to hook you with its fun action and complex character dynamics, Nemesis was so damn good, and I am still not over all of Hurwitz’s excellent, and brutal, twists.

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The Bluff by Joanna Jenkins

On March 10, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery3 Comments

Publisher: Allen & Unwin (Trade Paperback – 4 March 2025)

Series: How to Kill a Client – Book Two

Length: 432 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Impressive new Australian author Joanna Jenkins presents another captivating piece of crime fiction with the gripping and emotionally charged read, The Bluff.

Back in 2023 I had the very great pleasure of reading the fantastic legal thriller, How to Kill a Client. The debut novel of Australian author Joanna Jenkins, How to Kill a Client followed various members of a prestigious Australian law firm who are forced to deal with the fallout of the murder of one of their biggest clients, a man who everyone in the firm had a motive to kill. Jenkins produced an outstanding story in her first novel, and How to Kill a Client ended up being one of my favourite debuts and pieces of Australian fiction of 2023. Due to how good her first book was, I have been keeping an eye out for anything else from Jenkins and I was very happy to see she had a new book coming out in 2025 with The Bluff. A surprising sequel to How to Kill a Client, The Bluff has been on my to-read list for a while, and I was very glad that I finally got the chance to check it out.

Plot Synopsis:

People like Dash didn’t die. He was only what? Mid-thirties? Well off. Adored. By some anyway. World at his feet. Well, Myddle at his feet, which was his world.

Ruth Dawson has taken a break from big city law to fill in for a few months at a mate’s small-town legal practice in Myddle. It’s not what she’s used to . . .

So when she hears the front door of her office open she’s expecting a weird demand, or a question she doesn’t know the answer to. But it’s Bea Baulderstone’s mum, worried that she hasn’t seen her seventeen-year-old daughter for five days, and Constable Gazza Parker is refusing to report the girl missing.

Ruth tries to find Bea, but Myddle is a wall of indifference. Then Dash Rogers is found at his farm gate, dead from a gunshot wound, and suddenly the town is very interested in Bea’s whereabouts.

An unputdownable thriller of deception and greed, The Bluff reveals an enmeshed web of family and community loyalties, set in the lush rural hinterland of east coast Australia.

The Bluff was an extremely captivating and complex Australian thriller from Joanna Jenkins that stands on its own feet while also serving as a great sequel to How to Kill a Client. Featuring a fantastic character-driven story loaded with mystery, impressive storytelling and an excellent rural setting, The Bluff had me hooked very quickly, and I ended up powering through it in a day.

I really enjoyed the amazing story that Jenkins came up with for The Bluff, as she provides both an intriguing mystery, and some great character development. A mostly standalone plot set after the events of How to Kill a Client, the reader is reintroduced to high profile layer Ruth Dawson, who is taking a break from the high-flying life to manage a small law firm in the small New South Wales town of Myddle. This change in setting and story focus towards a rural thriller, rather than the big-city legal thriller of Jenkins’ previous book, proved to be quite effective, as was the very clever way the author set out The Bluff’s story.

Jenkins ensured that readers get dragged into The Bluff’s tale almost immediately, with two very quick sequences at the start: one that showed a key moment of the plot without any context, and then a subsequent scene where the protagonist is reintroduced and then finds out about the narrative’s two main mysteries, a missing girl and a murder. With these important bits of information in your brain, the reader is then transported back six months and is shown all the events that occurred over this period that led up to the disappearance of Bea Baulderstone and the murder of Dash Rogers. Through this six-month period, you become acquainted with all the key players around Myddle and observe their interactions with the victims and the protagonist, and you begin the appreciate the complex web of relationships, problems and personalities that surround the case, as well as the many potential motivations for the book’s main crimes.

This dive back in time was an outstanding writing choice by Jenkins that allowed the reader to really appreciate the full breadth of the relationships and troubles that accompany the crime, all while perfectly utilising The Bluff’s excellent rural setting. With every brick of plot laid down to hint at the events to come, you find yourself becoming more and more involved with the plot as you try to picture how and why the murder will occur and which of the many interesting and emotional characters may commit it. The inclusion of a countdown at the start of each new chapter gives a great ticking clock vibe to The Bluff, and you become more and more anxious and excited as you get closer the plot’s principal event. The reader also begins to appreciate just how despicable the main murder victim is, and that allows for an even more compelling read, as you can see just how many potential people have a motive to kill him, as well as cause the disappearance of the missing girl.

The final third of The Bluff is probably the best, and I flew through it to find out how the story ends. The final series of events leading up to the pivotal killings are particularly dark (and potentially triggering for some readers), and it was fascinating to see everyone’s emotional state in advance of this crime, especially as there are so many potential suspects. However, rather than show the killings there, Jenkins instead jumps back to the timeline from the front of the book and spends the last 100 or so pages dealing with the subsequent investigation, with the protagonist pulling events together. I liked this delay, as it provided an excellent trickle effect for the twists and also allowed the protagonist to shine as she uses her knowledge of events and her own skills at deduction to identify the culprit and protect her friends in the town. The eventual solutions for the mysteries were very clever, and Jenkins did such a great job subtly dropping the clues throughout the backstory of the plot and setting up the various motivations. I really appreciated the many complex and compelling twists which fit into the plot perfectly, especially the last one that really made you think.

This entire brilliant story is wrapped up in some great character arcs, as Jenkins features a range of protagonists and potential suspects, each of whom were quite compelling and brought different shades of drama to the plot. I loved seeing their complex relationships and interactions throughout the plot of The Bluff, especially those that could lead to them committing the book’s main crimes. There are some really great characters here, and it was especially interesting to see more of series protagonist Ruth Dawson, who is not only continuing to move on from the personal trauma and loneliness that was a key part of How to Kill Your Client, but is also trying to figure out where her life is going after the collapse of her previous law firm. These character arcs come together in a very satisfying manner at the end of The Bluff, and a lot of this book’s complexity and strength came from how relatable and compelling Jenkins’ made these various characters, especially when it comes to their anger, fear and potential ability to commit murder.

Overall, The Bluff was an exceptional and deeply impressive sequel from Joanna Jenkins that I think was even stronger than the excellent first book. Featuring a very clever and well-written narrative that brings together powerful character storylines and a great rural setting with complex mystery, The Bluff proved to be extremely captivating, and you will become engrossed in uncovering the full extent of the plot. One of the best Australian crime fiction books of 2025 so far, The Bluff comes highly recommended and is really worth checking out.

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