A five-star read

I think this is one of those books that I don’t really want to reveal too much of what happens because it’s about the journey.  But it begins with a woman named Myfawny (pronounced Miffany) Thomas who awakens in a park in London with no recollection of who she is, what she is doing there, and why is she is surrounded by a bunch of dead guys wearing gloves.  She finds a note in her pocket, written by her former self, letting her know what to do and where to go.  She checks into a hotel and is covered in bruises and injuries, and then directed by note to a bank where she can either open safety deposit box A ,which is everything she would need to escape from those who pursue her and live a private life elsewhere, or safety deposit box B.  An incident where she ends up attacking some pursuers and finding she has supernatural powers of being able to control their bodies makes her pick option B, because she wants to know what it is all about.

Myfawny is an agent in a secret organization in the UK called the Checquy.  They gather supernatural forces to protect the people of Britain, but also work to keep the public innocent of what is going on.  As Myfawny goes into her powers and positions, she learns about the person she used to be before the amnesia, and then makes some hard choices.  She is being targeted by someone within her organization who is trying to take the Checquy down and as she comes closer to learning the truth, the danger increases.  She is assisted by letters from her former self.

This was really one of the most page-turning urban fantasy books I’ve read in a long time.  I think the hook of having it start with amnesia so you learn about the world as the character learns about it made this book particularly riveting.  It does have some moments that remind me of the Laundry books by Charles Stross.  I really enjoyed reading this one from beginning to end and highly recommend it.