Dan
Very happy to have Jack Parlabane back, and more so that this is a return to the exuberant and over the top style of books like Be My Enemy and …Rubber Ducks after the more understated recent entries in the series. There are strong Succession vibes as the Maskyn family (and boy is there a lot of masking going on in this book) struggle with the future direction of their family business, on a sea cruise that becomes a microcosm of the ongoing culture war. Set in our world of divisive politics and online opinions. It’s no surprise where Brookmyre’s and Parlabane’s allegiances lie, but he is a smart enough writer to avoid the easy right wing = bad, left wing = good trap, and you will find your take on characters on each side of the divide changing as the story progresses.
Basically, I loved this. It’s twisty, turny, funny, dramatic, compassionate and exciting, as good as any previous Parlabane adventure. I did worry that the title, referencing as it did the very first Jack Parlabane novel, was an indication that this could be the end of the series, a capstone to the whole lot. It may yet be, of course, but there’s no air of finality, and the ending leaves a whole new direction Jack could go in, should the author choose. I’ll keep reading them as long as he keeps writing them!
Very happy to have Jack Parlabane back, and more so that this is a return to the exuberant and over the top style of books like Be My Enemy and …Rubber Ducks after the more understated recent entries in the series. There are strong Succession vibes as the Maskyn family (and boy is there a lot of masking going on in this book) struggle with the future direction of their family business, on a sea cruise that becomes a microcosm of the ongoing culture war. Set in our world of divisive politics and online opinions. It’s no surprise where Brookmyre’s and Parlabane’s allegiances lie, but he is a smart enough writer to avoid the easy right wing = bad, left wing = good trap, and you will find your take on characters on each side of the divide changing as the story progresses.
Basically, I loved this. It’s twisty, turny, funny, dramatic, compassionate and exciting, as good as any previous Parlabane adventure. I did worry that the title, referencing as it did the very first Jack Parlabane novel, was an indication that this could be the end of the series, a capstone to the whole lot. It may yet be, of course, but there’s no air of finality, and the ending leaves a whole new direction Jack could go in, should the author choose. I’ll keep reading them as long as he keeps writing them!