seearcane 's review for:

Family Business by Jonathan Sims

3.75

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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For those familiar with Jonny Sims' work on The Magnus Archives, this one will satisfy any lingering wish you might have for something a little more victorious in its closing than the tragic knife twist of that series' end (The Magnus Protocol notwithstanding). If there's anything to nitpick, it's that the climax leans a little heavy on an abrupt semi-deus ex machina vibe of an as-yet never mentioned/hinted kryptonite to the main villain and the overall goals of the latter are left hazy. Evil still loses! But the defeating could've used more structure.

That aside, it is a good read. A bit of a narrative mental mouthwash when it comes to the human evils and tragedies of day-to-day life and death. While not as toothy as his last work with Thirteen Storeys, it is worth cracking open if you're in the mood for parasitic 'deal with the devil' horrors.