This is the second book in the Unorthodox Chronicles by James J Butcher, about Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby, a wizard in Boston working for the magic FBI. Well, the second in the series, the first where he’s actually working for said Department. In the first book, Dead Man’s Hand, he was working as a children’s magician and hating every moment of it before he got sort of accidentally framed for a murder and his now partner Mayflower came looking to kill him.

It was a fun read and left me looking forward to the sequel, where I hoped to find a more composed Grimsby beginning to grow into his own. And I was disappointed.

I’ll be frank, I did not like the character of Grimsby. He is a bit of an idiot, which is forgivable, and a huge wet blanket, which is harder to get past. Most of the book is him uncertain and miserable at the position he is in with his job, which was more acceptable when he was having Mexican food stapled to his back and being forced to be the Taco Fairy. But despite getting his dream job, which you’d hope would pay better, he’s still depressed that it isn’t what he expected it to be and is wondering if he made a mistake in taking it in the first place. If there was some end goal with this whining or some self-reflection, then I’d be grudgingly ok with that but it doesn’t really seem to be.

While we’re in a complaining mood, this book takes ages to start. This is a detective novel at its heart so you’d expect most of the book to be centred around solving a case. And while the case is picked up relatively quickly we’re a third of the way in before Grimsby even opens the file. Before that there isn’t a plot as such, more just characters doing things. When he went on an errand to an alternative dimension I actually had to pause and try and work out why I was actually reading the book in the first place.

Happily, that’s about all I have to complain about. After the plot does start is a very enjoyable read and I zipped through the rest of the book. And I loved the way everything resolved. As for other characters, Grimsby is really the only one I can complain about. Mayflower being a grumpy, used-to-be-retired cop who regrets what he’s done with his life, is great and he interacts with Grimsby in a fantastic way. Honestly, I wish he was the main character but whatever. The other characters are also fun and some of the writing and turn of phrase is just great. I’d love to quote my favourite Mayflower line but it’s right at the end so instead I’m putting my second favourite line by someone else: ‘The point is, we’re making certain every I is spectacled and every T is sipped before we make any moves.’

All in all I ended this book much like I ended the last one. Satisfied, willing to buy the next one and hoping the Grimsby is a different person by the time it comes out.