by Rio Youers

William Morrow, out now

Brody Ellis does something desperate – but doesn’t expect to end up being framed for murder…

Rio Youers’ latest novel is another one of those stories that grabs you from the first chapter and doesn’t really give you – or its characters – much respite until the final page. Lola Bear is a larger than life figure whose shadow is felt throughout the whole book – think Linda Hamilton in full T2 mode but without the benefits of James Cameron’s trick photography. We see her first as an angry avenging angel, tearing through the minions of a crime lord; as the book goes on, we learn what brought her to that point, and the effect it’s had on her life going forward, and the price she’s had to pay.

Discovering how her storyline intersects with young Brody Ellis is one of the delights of the book, and Youers does a fine job in portraying the levels of desperation to which Brody has sunk, determined as he is to support his sister as best he can after the death of their father. Things that don’t quite make sense as Brody and Molly’s journey unfolds will do so – they’re not authorial oversight, or poor plotting – with everything heading inexorably towards a showdown that’s been decades coming.

Youers has honed his skill further in the action sequences, with a good sense of the geography of the fights so you’re never left confused, and combined with some well-rounded characters, and neat turns of phrase (“The hands of time have no bias,” is one that has stuck in my head since reading it a few days ago) provides an at times gruelling but always entertaining read.

Verdict: A gripping, well-told tale of revenge served hot and cold. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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