whatsamyreading 's review for:

The Laughing Dead by Jess Lourey

4.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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The Laughing Dead was the third instalment in the Steinbeck and Reed series. The last book ended with a bit of a cliffhanger so I was excited to pick-up where we left off. 

There was a lot less interaction between the crime-fighting duo, Harry and Van, in this book. This was done with intention, but it was a bit of a bummer. They balance one another out so well that it felt like something was missing. 

However, we were introduced to a new character - Van’s foster dog, Owl. She was the sweetest little angel baby and I loved her immediately🥹. She was the true MVP in this book, and nobody can convince me otherwise😉. 

The first 75% of the story was good, but a definite slow burn. However, the payoff in the final stretch was well worth it. It moved at breakneck speed, and the twists were insane! 

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for the opportunity to read this e-ARC!