The wild dead

I think Carrie Vaughn is one of the most under-rated genre writers around. Post-Apocalyptic murder mystery is not a genre just anyone could handle, but she does so with great skill. Bannerless has the fun of other fantastical neo-noir detectives but without the sexism and toxic masculinity that is pretty ingrained in the latter genre. I love the concept, and the mystery met my criteria of I got it figured out just a little ahead of the characters. I remember liking Bannerless but read it a long time ago and was worried it would be confusing to jump into the world, but honestly you could jump in here and be caught up with the world in the first chapter.

I'm also maybe a little won over by the idea of “households” who all gather together to raise children because magic dystopian birth control aside, that's a really great idea.

Recommended especially to fans of a good detective story looking for a fresh and more inclusive take on it.