When I first read the synopsis of this book, I was thinking, great, a knockoff of Simon Green’s Secret Histories series. Wow, was I ever wrong. Other than the element of a secret organization made up of mostly family fighting the supernatural, this book heads in completely different directions than those wonderful books. Derek Hawthorne, an Agent for the Red Room, with over 100 successfully completed mission and son of a Senior Red Room Council member, has stopped huge supernatural menaces time and again. When a mission with his sister, a combat witch, goes sideways, since they expected a couple of flunky’s to show up at a meet that could lead them to a terrorist organization, not its leader,a millennium old sorcerer with untold power. When things go pear shaped and the Terrorist leader, known as the Wazir, kills a bunch of civilians, Derek ends up arrested by normal police. When he is bailed out and returns to the Red Room, he finds out that the Room has a mole, and that HE was the main suspect! This starts a hunt for the mole, and Derek is partnered with a beautiful Irish agent, who has secrets and powers of her own. The conspiracy is much bigger than either of them know, involving people in and out of the Red Room, including a source Derek has personal history with. The story winds and twist, with lots of fights, magic and super science, until the final showdown with the Wazir, which was balls to the wall amazing! Derek and his partner are definitely an odd pair, but they mesh well. The author took care to make sure each character was well rounded, and fit snugly into their roles in the story. I really loved the magical elements, just taken as everyday tools of the trade, and all the James Bond allusions and quips added a fun touch to the story. I am very excited to see the next installment in this series.
As always, Jeffrey Kafer, one of my Top 10 Narrators, does an outstanding job bringing the characters to life, giving each of them their own unique voice. His pacing for the narration is among the best, and he never has weird pauses or extraneous sounds mar his narrative. all in all, I can’t recommend this book highly enough!