I'm actually pretty blown away by this book, and that very rarely happens. Terrific in craft and content, it's Mieville, Zelazny, and Grisham all wrapped up into one. Yeah, Grisham. And maybe Lee Child. Gladstone creates a bizarre sort-of-steampunk fantasy world and peoples it with equally bizarre characters who still seem real, and seemingly incredibly unlikely to work together, yet they do. He sets up a murder mystery, explores the possibilities of what a legal system and law firms might be like in a world with gods and magic, and packs it with plenty of action. And did I mention Gladstone seems to have an intimate knowledge of the workings of boiler rooms?
Not once did my attention wander - and it nearly always does, no matter how good a book is. Even my very favorites have passages that put me to sleep or characters or tropes that are just plain irksome. Not with Three Parts Dead.
Thanks!
D