Report on Lethal White

Our choice this month jumps into an existing series with the fourth volume continuing an existing saga with pre-introduced characters. Despite this, the novel is well crafted and delivers a lovely roller-coaster of a read and stands as an enjoyable novel in it’s own box.

One of the challenges of these reads is the nature of gender. Here we have a woman attempting to write as a man about a male protagonist interacting with a variety of female characters. In fairness, I am not convinced the translations actually work. Cormorant is a strangely empathetic character. At times, as a male reading this novel I am very conscious that ‘he’ worries about things that a ‘he’ would typically not.

The tale is enjoyable with an extended amount of detail. Much like the Vacancy, it has an extended cast of characters. There’s a grittiness that sometimes seems a little forced but is nonetheless engaging, captivating and a great romp.