Broken Homes

I suppose that in theory this is quite a good story, but in practice there's not much about it that I actually enjoy, apart from some of the small details. Basically, it's about the hunt for the Faceless Man, who's an over-the-top villain, and I dislike over-the-top villains in general. Substantial parts of it are set in Skygarden, a fictional dreary block of flats, which is not the sort of setting I enjoy reading about. It eventually reaches a rather dramatic and surprising climax. Overall, it's readable enough to get three stars from me, but no more.

Anyone wondering whether to reread it may want a reminder of the main points, so here's a summary including major spoilers: There are several murders, attributed to the Faceless Man; the Spring Court of the God and Goddess of the Thames is held; Beverley hangs around hoping in vain for some attention from Peter; there are several dangerous encounters with Varvara the Russian Night Witch, culminating in a shootout with Nightingale; Peter and Lesley infiltrate Skygarden; the Faceless Man causes the death of the innocent Sky and dramatically demolishes Skygarden; Lesley becomes first a girlfriend of Zachary Palmer, and then an accomplice of the Faceless Man, hoping to get her face fixed. Any idea that she might become Peter's girlfriend is fading fast.

During the story, Peter and Lesley meet several Skygarden residents and get to know them a bit, but I don't think we ever find out what happens to them after this story, although I think Peter might have been sufficiently interested to follow up and find out. If he had time, which perhaps he didn't.

On fifth reading, I decided to skip most parts of the story that are set in Skygarden, though I did read the dramatic finale. I really feel I'm better off not plodding through the dreary bits, and the conversations with residents who'll never be seen again in this series.