A review by shanaqui
Comeuppance Served Cold by Marion Deeds

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 I think this was first described to me as "Phryne Fisher with magic". It's not quite, since it's not a detective story, but I can see why the comparison: there's something very Phryne-like in Dolly's matter of fact certainty about things. But don't downplay the magic element when you're thinking about this book: there's a whole rich world outside the novella, happening before and after it, and giving it a context. There's stuff going on that isn't really explained, that just stands there as background, and it makes me hope there are going to be more books following Dolly/Comeuppance.

Everything about this is remarkably well-handled: telling a non-linear story in such a way that everything comes together with a snap at the end is a pretty good trick. You get just enough information to not quite trust everything, but not to put all of it together at once.

I enjoyed the characters a lot, in the end -- even Fiona, to my surprise. I feel like there are two or even three strands of the story I'd like to follow in future books: I'd love to see more of Gabe, Philippe and Violet, as well as more of Dolly, or of her associates.

It comes together really well, tells a complete story, and leaves me wanting more. What more can you ask?