This
review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained
therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to
copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions.
Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s
Exalted Permission
Title: Bitter Gold Hearts
Series: Garrett, P.I. #2
Author: Glen Cook
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 288
Format: Digital Edition
Title: Bitter Gold Hearts
Series: Garrett, P.I. #2
Author: Glen Cook
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 288
Format: Digital Edition
Synopsis:
|
Garrett is paid to
consult on a kidnapping case for one of the rich and powerful folks
of town.Everything seems to be just fine until someone murders the
girl who was the go between, who happens to be related to the kidnap
victim. Then the heir, who was returned, supposedly kills himself. A
wagonload of gold has also disappeared. Garrett is then hired by the
remaining daughter to ostensibly find the gold but to also find out
what is going on.
Garrett figures
everything out but has to reveal it all to the Head of the Family who
has just returned from the war. She's a Storm Lord of no small power
and she ends up killing almost everyone involved to cover it all up
so her “honor” won't be besmirched. Garrett realizes what is
happening in the nick of time and wraps things up neatly and presents
the “evidence” to the other Storm Lords. They strip her of her
power and the daughter inherits.
And that wagonload
of gold? It disappeared, just like the Steward, who hired Garrett to
consult in the first place.
My
Thoughts:
|
Garrett sleeps with a lot of women. First, there's the woman from the
previous book, who is away for this one. Then there's the cousin who
ends up murdered and is the cause of Garrett really staying involved
in the whole thing. Then there's the daughter of the Storm Lord.
Between all that wenching and the gallons of beer he consumes, I'm
surprised Garrett hasn't died from either syphilis or his liver
giving out.
Other than bit of moralizing, I had a blast reading this. Garrett and
some shady characters invade a criminal troll stronghold and end up
burning the place down. It was violence and action and comedy and
humor all in one situation and I loved it. Garrett does a lot of
skulking around and I could have done with a little less of that, but
eh, he's a P.I., skulking is part of the job.
I really liked the ending, with the Storm Lord going full on murder
spree and Garrett stopping her before she murders him and his friends
too. I didn't see it coming, so when Cook sprang it on me, I was
quite surprised, as it meant the book didn't end with a little “oh,
I've solved things, lets go home now” from Garrett
I don't think that I could tell you that the guy who wrote this
series is the same guy who wrote the Black
Company books. It's not just the change in sub-genre
(comedic detective fantasy versus dark fantasy) but so far, I've seen
nothing related to or from the Black Company or the Dread Empire. Not
a phrase, not a character type, not a situation. That is really good.
After 10 books of the Black Company and almost as many with the Dread
Empire, I like this change. I hope this tempo can be sustained for
another 12 books.
I just realized that maybe I should be adding the mystery tag, as
Garrett is private detective after all. But while I will be, these
don't strike me as mysteries. I don't know if it is because I've been
steeped in the Agatha Christie, Ellis Peters type of mystery for so
long or what.
★★★☆½
No comments:
Post a Comment