While not technically on the Slab, this story of Bryan's takes place in space on various ships. Bad Jack has a checkered past that clearly serves him well as he tries to survive this latest adventure and keep those with him alive too. He is up against a large corporate space venture with some very domineering plans that he has to stop, or everyone will be in hot water. There is betrayal, murder, mayhem, assassination, space battles, mistaken identity, secret hidden pasts and plots to take over the world.

With his typical calculated brilliance, Ryan unfolds the plot small bits at a time - just enough to keep the reader invested and excited about the characters and the plot. Each time you get to unfold something new, the entire perspective of the story can dramatically change. Bad Jack himself is dangerous but a character that you will root for nonetheless. Ryan's characterizations are always detailed, three dimensional and human with those quirks and foibles that make characters and stories interesting. His imagery is spot on as he depicts onboard ship life as well as going out in space in specialized spacesuits. His imagination for advanced technology is so believable that it seems to make sense and in no way stands out or becomes a special effect - it simply adds to the worldbuilding he has already done for the other novellas.

This is a very action packed read which starts with a bang and doesn't let up until you finish the last words. Ryan is simply a master of this type of noir style of sci-fi thriller. You don't have to read the other novellas to enjoy this one - though I recommend them all highly. Read them in order. It helps to understand what is going on in the series, and by all means read Ryan's novel Blood Song, Ravens Shadow Book 1. The novel is one of the best that I read in 2012. Happy Reading! ( )