A bizarre start: straight after the cover is a page and a half of text that one assumes is the beginning of the story, though it is very abrupt and feels more like the middle of the story. Both wrong. This is just a teaser.

Next we get a list of other works - two and a half pages. Then the title page, followed by an acknowledgements page.

Next, two pages of ranting about book piracy, followed by copyright page, dedication page, contents pages, teaser page for the series. And FINALLY the actual novel begins. But by this time I felt like throwing it in the bin.

There isn’t much I can say about the plot without spoilers. It wasn’t a patch on the earlier books in the series, lacking their interaction and humour. One of the major twists didn’t have any real punch as it was too predictable. The ending had a better twist and a hook to whet the appetite for book 5. I won’t be bothering, though. This was a chore to finish and left me disenchanted with both author and series. ( )