When I first found this title a couple of years ago on Kindle Unlimited, I was as much hooked by the weird title and text message cover art as I was by the actual blurb. This was an off-beat and genuinely unique read filled with dark imagery and even darker humour that I’m certain won’t suit everyone. But if you’re into that kind of thing, you’ll definitely enjoy Jennifer Cody’s work. I never expected to see an audiobook version released. But when it came up on my Audible recommendations list recently, I hit buy so damn quickly… and I’m very glad that I did.
Synopsis
Romilly Butcher, a 22 year old mute homeless man who survives by squatting in vacant apartments and taking on menial jobs, finds his entire world turned upside down just 30 minutes into his first shift as a busboy at a diner. A mysterious stranger walks in, orders breakfast and is promptly attacked by virtually everyone in the restaurant. When the dust settles, only Romilly and the stranger are left standing.
When Romilly finds himself at the centre of more bloody massacres involving the mysterious stranger, he can’t help but feel that fate might be drawing them together for a reason. So when the man, Arlington Fox, offers him a job as his ‘harbinger’, Romilly is exposed to a whole new world of magic, demons, good vs evil, murder and possibly marrying the man of his dreams.
But can they find time between murder sprees to actually have a date, get to know each other better and maybe even fall in love? Or will the powers that be keep them too busy to finally consummate their budding relationship?
Review
Given that the main character is mute and can only communicate through text messages, I was curious how an audio adaptation of this book would work. But Kevin Earlywine’s narration handles this smoothly with an even performance throughout. The narrator clearly revels in the snarky humour and it’s so much fun to listen to. Overall, this was an excellent adaptation of one of my favourite urban fantasy titles of recent years. I look forward to hearing the sequels, which are being released one-by-one over the coming months.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Audiobook edition available via Audible and other digital retailers.
eBook edition is available via Amazon Kindle Unlimited.
Printed edition is also available.
My latest book, My Big Gay Family Christmas Wedding Disaster (The Nolan Family Book 2) releases November 30, 2024! Preorder now on your chosen eBook platform here:
Alex Leslie - Author 
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