Tag: Sequel

Warhammer 40,000: Interceptor City by Dan Abnett

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer8 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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Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Five-Star Books, Murder Mystery, Thriller6 Comments

Publisher: Century (Trade Paperback – 25 March 2025)

Series: Detective Sami Kierce – Book Two

Length: 432 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of the best authors of modern crime fiction, Harlan Coben, returns with another exceptional and twisty read, Nobody’s Fool, which hooks you from the beginning and refuses to let you go.

Harlan Coben is an author who needs very little introduction considering he is currently dominating the crime fiction world with his brilliant literary fiction and awesome television adaptations (plus he’s apparently a great murder alibi for Stephen King characters).  I have only read a few examples of Coben’s work so far, although I had an amazing time with the intense novels I checked out.  For example, I Will Find You and Think Twice were very exceptional, and I loved the unique mysteries and scenarios that the author comes up with.  As such, it was an easy decision to check out the latest book from Coben, Nobody’s Fool, especially when I was in the mood for an addictive and twist-laden read.  The sequel to one of Coben’s better known books/television series, Fool Me Once, Nobody’s Fool was an outstanding novel with an impressive plot behind it.

Plot Synopsis:

A year after the devastating events that took place in Fool Me Once, a secret from former Detective Sami Kierce’s college days comes back to haunt him. Present day is hard enough for Kierce, but his past isn’t through with him yet…

Sami Kierce, a young college grad backpacking in Spain with friends, wakes up one morning, covered in blood. There’s a knife in his hand. Beside him, the body of his girlfriend. Anna. Dead. He begins to scream – and then he runs.

Twenty two years later, Kierce, now a private investigator, is a new father who’s working off his debts by teaching wannabe sleuths at a night school in New York City. One evening, he recognizes a familiar face at the back of the classroom. Anna. It’s unmistakably her. But as soon as he makes eye contact with her, she bolts.

For Kierce there is no choice. He knows he must find this woman and solve the impossible mystery that has haunted his every waking moment since that terrible day.

His investigation will bring him face-to-face with his past. Soon he discovers that some secrets should stay buried.

Well damn, now that was an awesome read.  While I was expecting Nobody’s Fool to be an entertaining and complex novel, I wasn’t fully ready for all the fantastic twists and turns that Coben loaded into this cool new book, and I got really sucked in as a result.  Due to how addictive Nobody’s Fool was, I managed to knock it off in a single day, and I had to give it a full five-star rating as a result.

Coben ended up pulling together a spectacular and multi-layered narrative in Nobody’s Fool, which successfully blended complex mysteries with some intense personal moments from the book’s protagonist.  Set a year after the events of Fool Me Once, Nobody’s Fool follows former police detective Sami Kierce, who had a strong supporting role in the previous book.  Now a private detective and part-time criminology lecturer to wannabe crime solvers, Kierce is struggling to make ends meet.  However, he soon becomes obsessed with a new personal case when Anna, a former lover who he believed was dead, suddenly appears at one of his classes before running away.  Determined to uncover what happened all those years before, Kierce soon connects Anna to one of the most infamous kidnapping cases in the country’s history and must attempt to work out who she is and what truly happened to her.  At the same time, the protagonist is also forced to deal with the release of the man who was convicted of murdering Kierce’s former fiancé, especially as the released killer wants Kierce’s help to prove his innocence.

I really enjoyed this compelling narrative, especially as Coben effortlessly combines the protagonist’s personal issues in the aftermath of Fool Me Once, with the current thrilling mysteries.  The main plot around the supposed death of Anna and how it ties into the troubled history of an influential family was just spectacular, and I loved the many impressive twists and intriguing family drama that the protagonist is forced to navigate.  At the same time, the complex storyline around the murder of his former fiancé added a compelling personal edge to the book which hit all the right emotional notes.  Both these separate storylines come together extremely well in Nobody’s Fool’s larger narrative, and Coben balanced them nicely, especially when it comes to a major story moment about two-thirds of the way through that ensures that the entire investigation is thrown out of whack.  This eventually leads to two sperate sets of revelations as Kierce uncovers the truth behind both crimes.  While I felt that the solution to the mystery around the protagonist’s dead fiancé was a little obvious, the main plotline around Anna was extremely clever, and I deeply enjoyed how it was solved.  Coben did an outstanding job layering the hints and clues to this mystery throughout the rest of the book, and it came together in a tragic and powerful end.  An overall great mystery narrative that goes in some captivating and shocking directions, this was such an addictive story and there was a reason I couldn’t stop reading it.

Coben brought Nobody’s Fool together in a particularly impressive way that really allows readers to get to grips with the story and dive into its emotional heart.  Told solely from the perspective of protagonist Sami Kierce, Nobody’s Fool turned into quite a moving character-driven read, as Coben effectively worked the various mysteries with international implications, while also diving into the psyche and emotional turmoil of the protagonist.  The deep character dive into the protagonist was really compelling on several levels, as not only does he have to explore the trauma introduced in this book, but there is a great examination of the fallout from Fool Me Once.  It was captivating to see Kierce deal with the consequences of the previous novel, and the fallout keeps the protagonist desperate and plays into the modern story wonderfully.  At the same time, the author introduces a fun array of cooky supporting characters, who add to the general fun of the story.  My favourite were the members of Kierce’s criminology class, whose entertaining assistance helps to solve the case in an unexpected manner.  Coben expertly brings them into the plot, and there are some fun stories associated with them that I could see the author exploring further in the future.  The various suspects associated with the main case had the most emotional impact on the story, and their complex connections, dark motivations and intense need to find the truth helps to turn Nobody’s Fool into something truly special.  Throw in some quick paced scenes, cool locations (including one I know he came up with at Bouchercon 2024), and some brilliant family moments from all the damaged characters, and this was such an outstanding read.

One thing I feel I must discuss about Nobody’s Fool is how it ties into the preceding novel, Fool Me Once, and whether you can read this second novel as a sequel or as a standalone read.  Now I must admit that I haven’t read Fool Me Once, so I went into this sequel a little blind and I was initially worried that I was going to have a hard time following the plot or fully appreciating the story.  However, I found that for the most part Nobody’s Fool stands on its own, and no real pre-knowledge of Coben’s previous novel was needed.  There is a great focus on the fallout from the first book, especially when it comes to Kierce’s role, but Coben provides the necessary context so you can appreciate this drama without having to read Fool Me Once first.  This does somewhat change around halfway through, when a couple of major characters from Fool Me Once are shoehorned in as potential witnesses for the current case, and new readers might have some problems fully appreciating the personal gravity of Kierce’s meetings with them.  While those fans who have checked out Fool Me Once first will probably get some more emotional impact from these parts of the book, I felt that Coben ensured there was enough background to allow new readers to keep moving forward without any difficulty and have an exceptional time with the author’s killer plot.

Harlan Coben continues to impress with this brilliant new novel that serves as a wonderful sequel to one of his more iconic novels.  Nobody’s Fool had me hooked from the very first page, and I had such an outstanding time fully unwrapping the author’s complex mystery and diving through every fantastic twist.  This book was an absolute pleasure to read, no matter your experience with Coben’s other works, and I hope we see some more from Nobody’s Fool’s protagonist in the future.

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Waiting on Wednesday – The Strength of the Few by James Islington

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Waiting on Wednesday10 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight a major 2025 release that a lot of fantasy fans have been eagerly waiting for, with The Strength of the Few by James Islington.

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Back in 2023 I was very lucky to read the brilliant novel, The Will of the Many by Australian author James Islington.  The first book of Islington’s I had the pleasure of reading, The Will of the Many was a captivating novel that followed a young prince of a conquered land hiding in the one of the cities of the nation that killed his family.  Recruited by a powerful nobleman and placed in the crosshairs of a dangerous resistance movement, the protagonist is sent to a school for the conquering nation’s elite, where he must rise up the ranks of the hierarchical classes in order to expose various secrets that could have major implications for the future of the world.  I ended up getting really drawn into The Will of the Many’s epic narrative, and Islington pulled together an exceptional read that combined complex characters and intricate world building with some impressive and intense moments.  The Will of the Many ended up being one of my favourite books, audiobooks and Australian novels of 2023, and got a very easy five-star rating from me.

Due to how outstanding The Will of the Many was, myself and many other fantasy fiction fans have been eagerly awaiting a sequel since 2023.  Thankfully this patient waiting has paid off, as Islington just released details about his long-awaited sequel to The Will of the Many, The Strength of the Few, which has just been set for release in November 2025.

The Strength of the Few will be an intricate and compelling sequel, that will continue to follow the protagonist as he continues to infiltrate the Hierarchy and tries to uncover the dark secrets of the nation that took everything from him.  However, certain magical complications have resulted in the protagonist being split across three separate worlds, and each incarnation of him now has to play alternate games to survive.

Plot Synopsis:

This highly anticipated follow-up to The Will of the Many—one of 2023’s most lauded and bestselling fantasy novels—follows Vis as he grapples with a dangerous secret that could unravel history across alternate dimensions.

OMNE TRIUM PERFECTUM

The Hierarchy still call me Vis Telimus. Still hail me as Catenicus. They still, as one, believe they know who I am.

But with all that has happened—with what I fear is coming—I am not sure it matters anymore.

I am no longer one. I won the Iudicium, and lost everything—and now, impossibly, the ancient device beyond the Labyrinth has replicated me across three separate worlds. A different version of myself in each of Obiteum, Luceum, and Res. Three different bodies, three different lives. I have to hide; fight; play politics. I have to train; trust; lie. I have to kill; heal; prove myself again, and again, and again.

I am loved, and hated, and entirely alone.

Above all, though, I need to find answers before it’s too late. To understand the nature of what has happened to me, and why.

I need to find a way to stop the coming Cataclysm, because if all I have learned is true, I may be the only one who can.

Now it sounds like Islington has quite an intriguing plot planned for The Strength of the Few, and one that has the potential to be pretty damn awesome.  Having the protagonist simultaneously stranded in three separate dimensions, with each version unaware of the actions of the other is quite ambitious, and it could result in some captivating scenarios, especially if each version of the protagonist needs to develop alternate skills to survive in each world.  While I can imagine the plot has some potential to get over complicated or confusing, if handled right it could be quite impressive, and I am very eager to see how it turns out.  Based on how well Islington managed the complex plot of The Will of the Many, I am very confident that The Strength of the Few is going to be pretty damn epic, and I cannot wait to see more excellent world building, some great character moments, and potentially some answers to the secrets from the previous book.

Due to how damn good Islington’s previous book is, there is no way that I will be missing The Strength of the Few when it comes out later this year.  An intense and ambitious book, The Strength of the Few has the potential to be one of the very best books of 2025, and I will be reading it the very first chance that I get.  An epic sounding read that is sure to impress.

The Bluff by Joanna Jenkins

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery5 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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Quick Review – Crusade by Richard Cullen

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Quick Review5 Comments

Publisher: Boldwood Books (ebook – 10 February 2025)

Series: Chronicles of the Black Lion – Book Two

Length: 369 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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If you’re in the mood for some excellent and exciting historical fiction, look no further than the outstanding read Crusade by fantastic author Richard Cullen.  Cullen, who also writes as fantasy author R. S. Ford (see my review for his book Engines of Empire), provides a fantastic second entry in his Chronicles of the Black Lion historical series with Crusade.  An amazing sequel to his 2024 novel, Rebellion, Crusade continues to follow his protagonist, Estienne Wace, former squire to William Marshal, on another powerful journey, this time into the Fifth Crusade.


Plot Synopsis:

Egypt 1219AD.

Abandoning the safety of England for the perilous shores of the Levant, Estienne Wace is thrust into the turmoil of the Fifth Crusade. Burning with righteous purpose, he is determined to reclaim the Holy Land in the name of Christ.

War rages along the banks of the Nile as a crusading army besieges the Saracen city of Damietta, certain that the price they pay in blood will return the glory and treasures they crave. But as the Black Lion roars, and the siege grinds on, Estienne’s unwavering faith is tested more and more by the grim reality of this brutal conflict.

As the siege turns on a knife edge, Estienne finds himself thrust upon a journey across the merciless desert. Stripped of everything, and forced into a dangerous alliance, he will grapple with the true meaning of faith, honour, and the price of salvation, in a land where nothing is as he once believed.


Crusade was a captivating and worthy sequel to Rebellion that provided readers with the intriguing next chapter in the life of Cullen’s main character.  Easily read as a standalone historical adventure or a continuation of the author’s previous book, Crusade starts off strong and keeps the action coming quick and fast, as the protagonist is thrown into battle to seize the Saracen city of Damietta.  There are some awesome sequences here, as Cullen produces some high-quality and intense medieval combat scenes that allow the reader to feel every hack and thrust of the protagonist’s sword.  At the same time, the author also provides the reader with some introspection, as the protagonist has his first doubts about the crusade he has sworn to fight for.

Cullen quickly moves the reader into one of the more memorable parts of Crusade, as the protagonist finds himself separated from his crusader brethren and is instead captured and sold into slavery.  Forced to cross the desert, Estienne faces innumerable hardships as he attempts to escape, including slavers, the elements, a surprise band of Mongolian raiders, and a gigantic and vengeful warrior who has sworn to hunt down and kill him.  This proved to be a really fun part of the book, as the author provides innumerable perils, while also introducing or expanding on several interesting supporting characters.  You really get stuck into Crusade’s story here, and it sets up the final third of the book extremely well, as a doubtful Estienne takes part in the final conflicts of the Fifth Crusade.  Cullen features these final battles nicely, especially with some dual perspectives from Estienne’s gigantic rival, and you get some interesting closure as the final battles of the crusade emerge.  Everything ends on a hopeful note, and you are left wondering what adventures will appear next in the series as the protagonist embarks on a new journey.

As with Rebellion before it, one of the things that I personally enjoyed about Crusade was Cullen’s excellent use of historical elements as he dove into the compelling events surrounding the Fifth Crusade.  One of the lesser utilised crusades in historical fiction, the Fifth Crusade saw the armies of Christendom invade Egypt, with a combined force of multiple nations and knightly orders.  This was a clever historical event to set a story in, especially as it fits in right after the First Barons’ War, which was the focus of Rebellion.  Cullen clearly did his research when it came to this conflict, and I liked how he fit his protagonist in amongst the key events of the crusade.  Estienne proves to be a good witness to the major conflicts of the war, and his subsequent wanderings in the desert also provided some interesting historical context, especially with the appearance of the Mongolians and other desert groups.  I deeply appreciated this cool examination of this period, and I love that Cullen is taking the opportunity to feature some less well-known conflicts with his books.  It will be interesting to see what wars or key historical events Cullen will set his next entry in the Chronicles of the Black Lion series around, but I am sure I will find it fascinating.

Richard Cullen continues to impress with his cool historical fiction.  Crusade proved to be a great addition to Chronicles of the Black Lion series, and I enjoyed its excellent action, compelling historical inclusions and intriguing narrative.  I look forward to seeing where Cullen will take his series next, and I am having fun with these awesome books.

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Waiting on Wednesday – The Malevolent Eight by Sebastien de Castell

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Waiting on Wednesday4 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  In this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I check out an extremely fun sounding fantasy novel coming out soon with The Malevolent Eight by Sebastien de Castell.

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2025 looks set to be a very big year for fantasy author Sebastien de Castell.  I have previously posted about one of his upcoming books, Our Lady of Blades, which will serve as a loosely connected sequel to Play of Shadow and Crucible of Chaos (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2024 respectfully).  I truly believe that Our Lady of Blades will be one of the top books of 2025, but before we get to it, we have another treat from de Castell with The Malevolent Eight.

The Malevolent Eight is an awesome and entertaining upcoming book that will serve as a sequel to the author’s previous novel, The Malevolent Seven.  The Malevolent Seven was a great book from a couple of years ago that I had a ton of fun reading thanks to its over-the-top narrative and entertaining characters.  Following seven murderous and mismatched wizards who take on a job to kill a group of deadly mages, The Malevolent Seven was extremely good, and I loved the twist at the end that saw the protagonists simultaneously unleash heaven and hell on their own dimension.  

Ever since reading this fun book, I have been hoping that de Castell would release a sequel to The Malevolent Seven, and it looks like we finally have one upcoming with The Malevolent Eight.  Set for release in May 2025, The Malevolent Eight looks set be an amazing sequel that will see the protagonists fight back against the dark forces they unleashed upon the world.  Thanks to its exciting story and entertaining characters, I predict that The Malevolent Eight is going to be a particularly awesome read, and one that I am very keen to get my hands on.  This will probably be one of the most exciting and humorous books of 2025, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.


Plot Synopsis:

The stakes have never been higher.

The world is teetering on the brink of annihilation. The Lords Celestine and the Lords Devilish, celestial and infernal beings locked in an age-old enmity, have at last found the perfect battlefield for their apocalyptic Great Crusade: the mortal realm.

Cade Ombra, former Glorian Justiciar turned mercenary wonderist, leads a band of emotionally unstable mages in a desperate bid to prevent the impending clash of divine and diabolical titans. Failure will leave humanity to be conscripted into an eternal war, serving as foot soldiers doomed to oblivion.

The mission seems impossible, but Cade and the Malevolent Seven aren’t exactly pacifists, so they’re determined to bring peace no matter how many people they have to kill first. With wit as sharp as their blades and a moral compass that points only toward survival, they’re ready to cut down anyone in their path to stop the war before it begins.

Prepare for a whirlwind of dark magic, irreverent humour and relentless action in The Malevolent Eight: The Bad, The Worse and The Wicked. The fate of the humanity hangs in the balance, and only the most malevolent can hope to save it.

Waiting on Wednesday – Tyrant by Conn Iggulden

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Waiting on Wednesday5 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  For this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I look at Tyrant, the new novel from acclaimed historical fiction author, Conn Iggulden, which continues to follow the dark rise of Emperor Nero.

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2025 is shaping up to be a great year for historical fiction, and one of the books that I am looking forward to the most is the next fun novel from awesome author Conn Iggulden, Tyrant.  Iggulden is an outstanding author who has produced some amazing and complex historical reads throughout his career.  This includes his epic Emperor series, which covered the complete life of Julius Caesar, as the Conqueror series that was set around Genghis Khan, and the outstanding War of the Roses books.  I also have had a lot of fun reading and reviewing some of his more recent books, including The Falcon of Sparta and his Athenian series, made up of The Gates of Athens and Protector.

The historical fiction fun continued last year as Iggulden started off a cool new series that revolved around the life of the infamous Emperor Nero.  This first book, Nero, was set around the birth and early childhood of the titular future emperor, and examined how his mother, the manipulative Agrippina, outlasted her husband and survived the dark attention of her crazed brother Caligula, all while scheming to enhance her position and ensure her son becomes emperor.  Nero proved to be a highly captivating read that provided both excitement and a fascinating look at the tumultuous events leading up to Nero’s adoption.  I had a great time with this latest Iggulden novel, and I have been keen to see how the author would follow it up.

Well, it looks like I will be able to explore more of Nero’s contentious life in a few months’ time as a sequel to Nero is coming out in May 2025.  This sequel, Tyrant, will continue to follow the early life of Nero, this time focusing on his time as Emperor Claudius’ adopted son and his mother’s twisted attempts to remove his new brother and current heir to the throne.  This should be another amazing book filled with cool historical detail, deadly intrigue and complex figures fighting for power, which should result in an epic and memorable narrative.  I have no doubt Tyrant will be one of the better historical fiction reads of 2025 and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

Plot Synopsis:

The latest gripping instalment in the bestselling Nero trilogy follows empress Agrippina’s ceaseless pursuit of absolute power for her son to rule over the Roman Empire

Ancient Rome, AD 50

The boy Nero lives. His mother Agrippina has married her way to power, tangling the Emperor Claudius in her skirts.

The emperor may have a son and heir of his own, but Agrippina sees no obstacles to her ambition.

Rome is a path through a marsh, lit by torches. Those who walk it are always one step from disaster – and the road itself is treacherous, slippery with blood.

Claudius may have the world at his feet, but he has Agrippina in his bed.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Sequels of 2024

On By The Unseen LibraryIn List9 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  The official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday required participants to list their most anticipated books for Summer (Winter for the Northern Hemisphere).  However, as I have already done this list a few weeks ago, I decided to continue with my annual end-of-year lists that I have been working on the last few weeks.  I have already covered my favourite new-to-me authors I read in 2024, as well as the best pre-2024 novels I read this year, but in this week’s list I am going to highlight the best sequels I read in 2024.  This is a relatively new topic that I only started exploring in 2023, however I had fun doing it last year so decided to replicate it again now.

Everyone loves a good sequel, and nearly every novelist and author has written some form of sequel in their career.  I’m sure we can all name some awesome books that requires some form of continuation and each year the talented authors we follow produce interesting sequel novels that cleverly expand from outstanding first novels.  I read a ton of sequels every year and I felt that it was about time that I highlighted the very best sequels of the year in a specific post.

To complete this list, I pulled together the best sequels released in 2024 that I had the pleasure of reading.  I primarily focused on second novels in a series that were released this year, especially those that I felt were outstanding follow ups to an impressive first novel and which followed the same characters or storylines.  For my top ten list, I prioritised those books I considered to be the best sequel, so while I might have enjoyed a specific novel more overall, if a book was a better sequel, it made the cut instead.  I think the resulting top ten list turned out pretty well as a result, and definitely highlights my favourite sequels released in 2024.

Honourable Mentions:

The Murder Inn by James Patterson and Candice Fox

The superstar team of James Patterson and Australian author Candice Fox had a great time returning to the unusual group of protagonists living at The Inn by the Sea, with their entertaining thriller, The Murder Inn.  The sequel to their previous novel, The Inn, The Murder Inn is a highly entertaining read and a great novel for fans of both these authors.

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The Heart of the World by Amie Kaufman

A fast-paced and emotionally charged young adult fantasy novel from Australian author Amie Kaufman that finishes the story started in The Isles of the Gods.

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The Wrong Hands by Mark Billingham

The highly entertaining novel, The Wrong Hands, was a very fun book that followed on from Billingham’s first DS Declan Miller book, The Last Dance.

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Top Ten Tuesday:

Warhammer 40,000: Above and Beyond by Denny Flowers

The first book on this list is one of my favourite sequels of 2024, Above and Beyond by Denny Flowers.  The follow-up to Flowers’ previous awesome Warhammer 40,000 novel, Outgunned, Above and Beyond reunites two of Flower’s complex and traumatised protagonists, a newly cynical propaganda expert and a broken war hero, and throws them into hell.  Taking them into another adventure laden with intrigue, lies and manipulation, Above and Beyond was Flowers’ best novel yet, and I loved how effectively it continued the epic story from Outgunned.

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Nobody’s Hero by M. W. Craven

M. W. Craven had a brilliant year in 2024, as not only did he release the exceptional and dark murder mystery, The Mercy Chair, but he also presented the fantastic novel, Nobody’s Hero. A sequel to his 2023 novel, Fearless, Nobody’s Hero is a beautifully over-the-top thriller loaded with brutal action and so much fun. Providing a very interesting continuation to several storylines started in Fearless while also standing on its on with its excessive plot, Nobody’s Hero is a great book and a wonderful sequel.

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War Cry by Ian Ross

Ian Ross continued his exciting historical adventures this year with War Cry, the fantastic follow-up to his captivating read, Battle Song.  Battle Song, one of my favourite books of 2023, introduced readers to a young squire who participated into one of England’s more intriguing historical civil wars, and featured an exceptionally addictive story.  Ross continued the series in a big way with his sequel, War Cry, that dragged his protagonist, now a knight, into the next stage of war, and all the tragedy that contains.  I had a great time with this sequel, and it really moved the overarching story along in a big way.  Special mention also needs to go to the third book in the series King’s Enemy, that also came out this year, and which ended the series in an excellent manner.

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The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe

Back in 2021 I had the very great pleasure of reading the particularly intense and clever young adult thriller, The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe, that followed a teenage former con artist caught up in a bank robbery.  I really loved The Girls I’ve Been, and I was very happy that Sharpe released a sequel this year in The Girl in Question.  Another captivating and exciting read that I really got hooked on, especially with its distinctive style and damaged teenage protagonists, The Girl in Question was an outstanding sequel that comes highly recommended.

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Deep Black by Miles Cameron

The most recent sequel I have picked up was Deep Black by Miles Cameron, which contains a massive and complex science fiction adventure.  The sequel to his previous novel, Artifact Space, Deep Black continues the great narrative of exploration and interstellar mystery, as the crew of a massive human trading vessel attempts to learn more about a series attacks trying to destroy it.  Cameron’s inventiveness and great character work is on full display in Deep Black, and I loved how he continued the outstanding story started in Artifact Space.

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Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell

I’m slightly cheating with the next entry on this list, Play of Shadows, as it is technically the first book in de Castell’s new Court of Shadows series.  However, at the same time Play of Shadows is also a loosely connected sequel to de Castell’s previous novel, Crucible of Chaos, which was released in advance of Play of Shadows as a prequel.  As such, I am counting Play of Shadows as a sequel, and frankly the book was so good I want to highlight it as many times as I can in the coming weeks.  An entertaining, compelling and unique fantasy novel, Play of Shadows saw a young actor unravel an ancient conspiracy infecting his city when he gains the ability to manifest the spirt of a notorious historical villain while on the stage.  A brilliant, witty and highly addictive read, Play of Shadows really impressed me, and I am so very eager to see how this series continues in the future.

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Dark Arena by Jack Beaumont

Another outstanding sequel I was happy to read this year was the intricate spy thriller Dark Arena by Jack Beaumont.  A particularly authentic spy novel set in Paris, Dark Arena serves as a sequel the Beaumont’s debut, The Frenchman (one of my favourite debut novels of 2021), and follows members of France’s intelligence community as they attempt to unravel a deadly plot impacting all of Europe.  A gripping read that served as a great continuation to The Frenchman, Dark Arena is an amazing sequel that is worth checking out.

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Warhammer 40,000: Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks

I had a lot of fun with Warhammer fiction in 2024, and that includes the outstanding Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks.  The direct sequel to Brooks’ hilarious Warhammer 40,000 novel, Brutal Kunnin, Da Big Dakka showcases the continued adventure of Brooks’ ork protagonist as he brings war, fighting and brutal fun to all corners of the galaxy.  This second book pits the orks against a tricky new foe in the most dangerous city in the universe, and the result is as hectic and bloody as you would expect.  Pure chaotic fun that any fan of Warhammer 40,000 fiction can enjoy.

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The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence

Another highly complex and powerful fantasy novel from the always impressive Mark Lawrence, The Book That Broke the World is a great follow-up to the 2023 novel, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn.  Continuing the elaborate narrative from the first book, while also expanding out the twists, turns and intricate details, The Book That Broke the World was a very smart novel that serves as a very satisfying sequel to The Book That Wouldn’t Burn and is very much worth checking out.

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Sentinel by Mark Greaney

The final sequel I want to highlight on this list is the action-packed novel, Sentinel.  The follow-up to the action-thriller, Armored, Sentinel throws the protagonist of the first book into an elaborate coup in Africa, with his family’s safety also at risk.  A highly exciting and compelling novel, loaded with impressive action and an elaborate narrative, Sentinel was an awesome sequel and I look forward to seeing how Greaney will continue this series in the future.

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Well, that’s it for this list.  As you can see, I have read several outstanding sequels this year and had a wonderful time doing so.  Every entry above was an epic novel, and I loved how they each successfully continued impressive story threads started in the previous novel.  All these books come highly recommended, and I cannot wait to see how these talented authors add to their already awesome series in the future.

Quick Review – The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Quick Review7 Comments

Publisher: Harper Voyager (Trade Paperback – 9 April 2024)

Series: The Library Trilogy – Book Two

Length: 369 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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The master of elaborate fantasy fiction continues his outstanding and intricate Library trilogy with the captivating novel, The Book That Broke the World.

Mark Lawrence is an exceptional author who has been wowing fantasy and science fiction fans since 2011 with impressive reads that borrow heavily from both genres.  Some of his better-known series include the Broken Empire novels, the Book of the Ancestor trilogy and The Book of the Ice trilogy (which includes The Girl and the Stars and The Girl and the Mountain).  His current body of work, the Library trilogy, might be his most ambitious series yet as he envisions a complex and intense story of hope, discovery and secrets within an impossible library that bends time, reality and the lives of its many alien inhabitants.  The first book in the series, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, was an epic read that told the story of Evar and Livira, two teenagers brought to the library in very different circumstances, who work to uncover its many mysteries.  This was such a great read, especially as Lawrence loaded in a particularly clever central twist that blew my mind, and The Book That Wouldn’t Burn ended up being one of my favourite books of 2023.  As such, the sequel, The Book That Broke the World, was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024, and it ended being a very interesting second entry in this amazing series.


Plot Synopsis:

We fight for the people we love. We fight for the ideas we want to be true.

Evar and Livira stand side by side and yet far beyond each other’s reach. Evar is forced to flee the library, driven before an implacable foe. Livira, trapped in a ghost world, has to recover her book if she’s to return to her life. While Evar’s journey leads him outside into the vastness of a world he’s never seen, Livira’s destination lies deep inside her own writing, where she must wrestle with her stories in order to reclaim the volume in which they were written.

And all the while, the library quietly weaves thread to thread, bringing the scattered elements of Livira’s old life – friends and foe alike – back together beneath new skies.

Long ago, a lie was told, and with the passing years it has grown and spread, a small push leading to a chain of desperate consequences. Now, as one edifice topples into the next with ever-growing violence, it threatens to break the world. The secret war that defines the library has chosen its champions and set them on the board. The time has come when they must fight for what they believe, or lose everything.

The Library Trilogy is about many things: adventure, discovery, and romance, but it’s also a love letter to books and the places where they live. The focus is on one vast and timeless library, but the love expands to encompass smaller more personal collections, and bookshops of all shades too.


Lawrence had to achieve a lot in this sequel, as he needed provided a compelling follow-up to his previous novel while also advancing the story in a clever and unique manner.  I felt that he succeeded on all fronts, as The Book That Broke the World proved to be just as complex, intense and addictive as the first book in the series.  Set in the immediate aftermath of the shocking events of The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, The Book That Broke the World continues to follow star-crossed lovers Evar and Livira as they to try and find each other despite the insurmountable odds of existing in different times and being born different species who are constantly at war with each other.  This new novel once again sees them parted, primarily due to one of the characters being a ghostly presence in the other protagonists’ time, and they soon end up discovering new periods of history within the library as war, strife and a new dangerous race upset the balance of events.  There is a certain feeling of tragedy and frustration for much of Evar and Livira’s narrative, as the two remain separated from each other, and you really get invested in their story, as well as the lives of their associated supporting characters, especially as the blending of timelines leads to some new interactions.

While it was great to continue to follow the adventure of the same main characters from the first book, the thing that made The Book That Broke the World’s narrative really stand out was the inclusion of new point-of-view protagonists whose additional narrative supported the unique story of Evar and Livira.  The first of these, Arpix, was a major secondary character in The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, and his use as a perspective protagonist here was very effective, especially as it allowed for a more measured view of some of the crazy events occurring throughout the book.  Arpix was a great character in this sequel, and I especially enjoyed seeing him interact with Evar and his family as Lawrence throws him into a delightful romance narrative with a very unlikely but entertaining figure.

However, it was the other additional point-of-view character who really turned The Book That Broke the World into something special, as Lawrence introduced a seemingly new protagonist, Celcha, a slave in the city surrounding the library, who finds herself drawn to its secrets thanks to the machinations of her unusual brother and the ghosts that visit him.  A member of an alien species who came from a different period than Evar and Livira, Celcha has an intriguing narrative within The Book That Broke the World, as she tries to escape the manipulations of other visitors from the library while also trying to learn more about her species.  Celcha’s narrative is at first separated from the rest of the storylines, and it is initially unclear what role it is going to play in the larger plot.  However, the way that Lawrence ends up tying it together with the rest of the plot is very clever, especially as he utilises the uncertainty of when Celcha’s story fits into the overarching timeframe of the narrative to tie up many mysteries from the first book while weaving in a complex new player.  These intriguing, character driven arcs come together extremely well by the end of the story, and you will be amazed at how well Lawrence’s many complex puzzle pieces fit together by the end for an addictive and memorable narrative.

As with most of Lawrence’s writing, The Book That Broke the World is a very complex and lore-heavy book that requires readers to really pay attention to the many, many details loaded into the overall text of the plot.  This results in a very elaborate narrative as Lawrence is constantly working in compelling details about his intriguing universe while also layering down constant hints and plot points that will become relevant later for twists and other reveals.  Readers really get caught up in the majesty of the massive setting of the Library trilogy, and I really appreciated how Lawrence was capable of blending fantasy elements with more science fiction focused occurrences, like advanced technology and time travel.  I also loved how well the author used the various character perspectives to further enhance the scope of the narrative and the setting, and you must appreciate the mystery and scope of his ambitious setting and the elaborate narrative around it, especially when it comes to the many fascinating side characters and protagonists he works in the plot.

While this proves to be a great book to read, it isn’t always the easiest novel to follow, as Lawrence throws in a lot of high-concept moments and plot points that sometimes seem a little too complicated for the narrative’s own good.  Readers are also required to remember a lot of key details from The Book That Wouldn’t Burn to fully appreciate the scope and cleverness of this second entry in the series.  While I was able to recall most of the details of the first book (the recap at the front was quite helpful), I can imagine some readers might have a little more difficulty, especially if there is a big gap between reads in the series.  Despite that, I think it would be possible to jump into the Library series from this second novel, but you really would be better off reading The Book That Wouldn’t Burn first as it allows you to become much more invested in the various compelling character arcs and emotionally laden storylines.

Mark Lawrence continues to showcase his inventive and unique fantasy style with The Book That Broke the World.  Providing readers with a complex and compelling sequel to his first Library novel, The Book That Broke the World continues the intense narrative in some fantastic directions, while constantly working to make the plot even more intricate and powerful.  An outstanding piece of fantasy fiction that will keep you guessing to the end, The Book That Broke the World comes highly recommended, and I look forward to the fast-approaching final entry in the series that is out in a few months’ time.

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Quick Review – The Wrong Hands by Mark Billingham

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Murder Mystery, Quick Review, Thriller2 Comments

Publisher: Sphere (Trade Paperback – 25 June 2024)

Series: DS Declan Miller – Book Two

Length: 405 pages

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

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Bestselling crime fiction author Mark Billingham continues his DS Declan Miller series with the highly entertaining read, The Wrong Hands.

Billingham is an intriguing British crime fiction author who has an impressive catalogue of books to his name.  Best known for his long running DI Tom Thorne series, Billingham has also written an array of compelling standalone novels and audiobook exclusives.  His latest body of work is his DS Declan Miller series, which is a light-hearted crime fiction series focusing on an array of over-the-top characters.  Starting with The Last Dance, the DS Declan Miller books follow an eccentric police detective as he investigates unusual crimes in Blackpool, including the murder of his own wife.  The Wrong Hands is the second book in the series, and it proved to be another cooky investigation with a highly entertaining plot behind it.

Plot Synopsis:

This is one case Detective Miller won’t want to open . . .

The second rip-roaring mystery from multi-award-winning number international bestseller Mark Billingham starring Detective Miller: unique, unconventional, and criminally underestimated…

Unconventional Detective Declan Miller has a problem. Well, two problems. First, there’s his dead wife and her yet-to-be-solved murder. He really should stop talking to her ghosts…

Second, and most pressing, a young man has just appeared on his doorstep with a briefcase . . . containing a pair of severed hands. Miller knows this case is proof of a contract killing commissioned by local ne’er do well Wayne Cutler—a man he suspects might also be responsible for his wife’s death. Now Miller has leverage, but unfortunately, he also has something that both Cutler and a villainous fast-food kingpin are desperate to get hold of.

Sprinkle in a Midsomer Murders-obsessed hitman, a psychotic welder, and a woman driven over the edge by a wayward Crème Egg, and Miller is in a mess that even he might not be able to dance his way out of.


The Wrong Hands was a highly entertaining and slightly outrageous crime fiction read that sets the author’s distinctive police detective protagonist against an unlikely assortment of criminals in a wacky, fast-paced plot.  Starting off with a very entertaining opening sequence that sees a world-class assassin and a local crime boss severely embarrassed by two local youths who managed to steal vital evidence, the book only gets even more fun from there as DS Declan Miller comes into possession of a pair of hands that could prove the key to locking up his rival and solving the murder of his dead wife.  However, to get there, Miller must first catch a dangerous killer, determine who the hands belong to, and protect anyone associated with the thieves responsible for the whole debacle.

I had an amazing time with this story, as Billingham loaded his plot with a huge array of over-the-top characters, each of whom proved fun to follow.  The plot moves at a very fast pace, and the author loads up some interesting clues and set-ups that result in some fantastic twists.  Much of the plot turns into an unlikely game of cat and mouse as Miller and his colleagues try to find the assassin before he strikes down everyone involved with the case.  I liked the captivating tension and unique story moments that led up to the big confrontation and the eventual solution to the book’s main plot proves to be quite enjoyable, especially as the villains are brought down from an unexpected source.  However, I must admit that I felt the author’s solution to the big crime of the series, the murder of the protagonist’s wife, didn’t get the epic solution it deserves, especially as the culprit kind of comes out of nowhere.  Still, this was an overall fantastic read and you really get wrapped up in the clever story.

Billingham utilises a distinctive stye that combines humour with compelling crime fiction scenarios.  While slightly derivative of the current craze around comedic murder mystery novels, The Wrong Hands still proved to be extremely entertaining, and I found the entire oddball scenario to be very compelling.  The quick change in focus between the various memorable figures involved in the case helped to give the novel some additional depth and comedic power, and I loved seeing the different angles to this entertaining narrative.  In addition, I felt that Billingham did a great job making The Wrong Hands a very accessible and easy to read book.  While The Wrong Hands does serve as a sequel to The Last Dance, new readers can easily dive into this latest book from Billingham without any issue, and the author ensures all the key plot points are expertly rehashed, allowing anyone to come in and have a great time with this fantastic novel.

While I loved the plot of The Wrong Hands and the way it was presented, the real fun lies in the unique characters themselves, as Billingham brings together an amazing and varied cast of niche crooks, crazed killers and troubled cops.  While I did think that Billingham may have tried a little too hard to make his protagonist, the dance-loving, unusual fact-spouting, rat-owning DS Declan Miller seem as quirky as possible, he still proved to be a great character to follow, and I felt that the author perfectly captured his grief, guilt and obsession with finding his wife’s killer.  His partner, DS Sara Xiu, proved to be an excellent foil to Miller, and even with her issues she worked as an enjoyable straight figure to Miller’s eccentric persona.  However, it is Billingham’s villains that really make The Wrong Hands stand out, as the author utilises an excellent collection of outrageous rogues.  This includes two crime bosses with alternate product focuses, whose neglectful family life proves to be their downfall, an elite assassin with a less-than-perfect naming convention and a love for Midsomer Murders, and a psychotic welder with some major issues.  These fantastically dark characters added a lot of impact to The Wrong Hands, and I loved seeing how their entertaining and often ironic storylines came together.

Overall, The Wrong Hands was an awesome and very fun new book from Mark Billingham, who let his ridiculous side loose to produce a fantastic crime fiction read.  Fast, funny, and loaded with outrageously complicated characters, The Wrong Hands is an easy book to get lost in, and I am glad I decided to pick it up.

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