Score:
★★★★☆ (4/5)
QUICK REVIEW: 'Black Cloak' by Kelly Thompson and Meredith McClaren continues to be an intriguing detective story steeped in procedure, investigation, and hardboiled dialogue. Essex makes a great prototypical gumshoe who's determined, brave, and sarcastic. She's a great foil for Pax who just wants to get to the bottom of the mystery and sees through her tough talk. The investigation into Freyal's murder leads to an old haunt of Essex where Black Cloaks are exactly revered. Pax joins her and new revelations put into question what exactly happened to Freyal. 'Black Cloak' dwells on the meat of detective work, following clues, asking questions, and interviewing anyone who may know anything. It's a police procedural that just happens to be set in a fantasy world full of richly designed characters and locales by McClaren. If you don't like great snappy dialogue and characters conversing whether they're friends or suspects you may not like the series. It's not flashy or full of action but Thompson's storytelling does cast a spell and readers should be invested in what Essex is trying to reveal. It's a murder investigation that's methodical and deliberate in ways other detective movies and shows have been like Blade Runner and Bosch. This is character-driven and the mystery unfolds in layers and that is why 'Black Cloak' works so well.
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