This is somewhat of a rollercoaster; it's best just to hang on and go with the flow. The second in the series based at The Stranger Times newspaper in Manchester. They specialise in news of the supernatural, so when a Vampire jumps in front of a truck in a supposed suicide, they get involved very quickly. It all gets rather confused, and I'm not sure I could give you a clear synopsis of the events that follow. It involves different groups of magical & mythical people. a ghost with a chip on her shoulder, a dating app gone sour and a tale of lost love. Inventive and madcap, what's not to enjoy. ( )

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

Content warnings:
This book contains scenes of violence, blood gore, and death. Hidden cameras and a trapdoor are installed in the company offices without them knowing for the purpose of kidnapping a young woman, although the kidnapping does not take place.

This Charming Man continues the adventures of The Stranger Times staff, and leads on from the massive cliffhanger at the end of the first book where we find out that Simon is haunting the office as a ghost. There were a couple of other reveals in the book, namely that there is an unknown powerful entity that shares a body with Manny, their intern Stella is very powerful and people are going to be very interested in exactly what she is/she can do, and there’s a large eyeball on a stalk that lives inside DI Tom Sturgess’ head and if he ever finds out about it, it will kill him.

That was Hannah’s first week on the job, and if anything it just made her even more determined to work at the paper. When she comes back from sorting her messy divorce, the last thing she wants to deal with is her pain in the ass editor Bancroft rudely firing the builders she hired to fix the bathrooms. She’s prepared to weather that storm when he reveals to her why he fired them; he found hidden cameras and a hidden trapdoor in the half-installed bathroom. Vincent Bancroft is a horrible barely functioning addict since the death of his wife, but he’s not lost his edge and when it comes to protecting his people he’s all in. There’s only one person that has suddenly become that interesting and neither Bancroft nor Hannah like where that thought takes them.

While Hannah is prepared to jump right in and get investigating, Bancroft insists that she work a new case that has come in due to her relationship with DI Sturgess. Instead, poor Ox soon finds himself in the paper’s newly formed “special operations department” to find out who hired the builders to try and kidnap Stella and why. Of course, in natural Bancroft style he tells Ox nothing until they’re sitting in a pub with a dirty tabloid journalist he once fired. Stanley wants help proving that the supernatural are real to get his wife back, and Bancroft needs someone with investigative experience and connections to find out who hired the buildings. Unfortunately for Ox, he’s stuck with Stanley whether he wants him or not.

Meanwhile, Hannah and Reggie are following up a rumour about a vampire and finding out that vampires don’t exist. That’s all well and good, apart from a vampire seems to exist, and it becomes even more confusing when one actually turns up at the office. Throw in an immortal who can only tell the truth who lives on a boat with a talking dog, and This Charming Man is a delightfully chaotic sequel that builds on the world we were introduced to in the first book.

McDonnell once again brings his wonderful sense of humour to a book that addresses some serious subjects. He had me laughing out loud so many times as he captured Manchurian residents perfectly. Using humour and fantastic storytelling he builds on the foundation of the first book, fleshing out the characters further and developing their relationships as a team. In particular, it was great to see how Stella deals with learning everything and what that means for her.

I can’t wait to read the next book!

BLOG | REVIEWS | REVIEW SCHEDULE | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST |
( )

Second book in The Stranger Times urban fantasy series set in Manchester. Assistant editor Hannah returns from trying to sort out her divorce to find trouble in the office with Banecroft having fired the builders that were installing the new bathroom to accommodate the new living arrangements (read book 1). While explanations for this are underway they get interrupted by Doctor Carter requesting that they look into the death of a man who had burst into flame after jumping in front of a truck. He had pointed & very sharp over-developed incisors, was of pale skin, had elongated fingernails and was dressed in black. Seeing as vampires don’t exist, she wants to know where he came from.

A ragtag bunch of characters return for their second outing continue to provide a lightness of touch in what would otherwise be quite a dark story. Hopefully a couple more become series regulars with future cameos from Cogs and Zeke wouldn’t go amiss. While you do lose the freshness of getting to know a new set of characters in a second book, the author does a great job of bringing in some fresh blood (see what I did there?) while also bringing greater depth to the existing bunch. The humour is also a high point throughout the story and the occasional pages written for Stranger Times paper are still a delight. Fans of the Rivers of London series should find a happy home with this one too and this book even seems to have an homage to Aaronovitch’s world. An excellent sophomore entry to a fine new series and I’m looking forward to the third. ( )

Another excellent story in the series. The dialog is the perfect combination of sharp and witty. And the plot serves perfectly to fuel the dialog. ( )

The Founders insist vampires don't exist. The Folk insist vampires don't exist. So why are men in Manchester waking up with fangs and a thirst for human blood?

Interesting expansion of the world seen in the first book. Although I did sometimes have problems working out whether some of the new characters were Founders or Folk, it was still a great read, and I'm looking forward to book 3 next year. ( )