A kidnapped child, two desperate parents, and a private eye. Standard perhaps, but in the ongoing fallout of World War Three nothing is as it seems, and the PI is going to find himself in a mess.

I did initially wonder if this was our world, but the discussion of the ongoing war with Asia and the two new power blocks (EC and UW) put paid to that quickly. This world is more Blade Runner than Sam Spade. It is a world where no one can be trusted and simply being seen with the wrong person will get you killed.

It is an enjoyable roller-coaster of a book, with a twist on every page, and it keeps you guessing right up to the end. To say it is fast-paced is an understatement, but this doesn’t always work for it. There is a twist towards the end that is only set up in one line earlier – if a reader misses that line the ending comes out of nowhere. It is part of a series, so many of the elements set up here will carry onto the next story, but like all detective novels it is about the case, and that is solved.

Formatting? What can I say but that I found no issues with formatting, layout, or spelling.

Strong characters, a gritty and dark world, and some very creative worldbuilding. Mystery readers and action readers will enjoy this, as well as fans of the noir genre.