They are out there, all those burgeoning sub-genre’s and your average book these days wants either to be strongly associated with one or prefers to try and stand alone, attempting to keep it’s head down so the illiterati won’t get round to pigeon-holing it. So where would ‘The Rook’ sit? Fantasy? Sure. Urban fantasy? It has too much of a niche. Fantasy crime-noir supernatural espionage thriller with hints philosophical neuroscience? Now you’re talking. Personally the only in-tray I’m willing to place it in is that of fiction. Our protagonist, Myfanwy (Miffany) Thomas has lost her memory and the author is quick to point out that losing one’s memory effectively makes you a completely different person. This completely different person has the written help of her former self to guide her in her life. It turns out that her former self had known she would lose everything that is her and had made preparations. The way in which the novel is crafted, one chapter devoted to the real time adventures of Myfanwy and one where she speaks to herself in the form of letters is a very neat trick that simply does not just keep your attention; it creates suspense, excitement and a longing to gobble this up sooner rather than later. I often felt that if I didn’t keep reading I would miss something, even if it was my own delirious amusement. It also turns out that Myfanwy, former and latter, is a high ranking administrator in the government’s top secret department for dealing with the supernatural and weird in this country and abroad. Like MI6 for things that go bump in the night. This book is fun. It gets funnier the further you get into it. I especially liked the scene involving four people and three phones. It is also a little weird. Not Lovecraft weird, more Douglas Adams or Jasper Fforde. Myfanwy is instantly likable and the supporting characters are interesting and well imagined. It is also a cracking, fast-paced story with equal elements of intrigue and, erm, ickiness? If you are looking for something to entertain you, make you giggle or grimace, you like a bit of kookiness and you want to try something fresh from an exciting new publisher, then this is for you.

This book was recommended to me and at first I didn’t know what to make of it but that been said I am so glad I picked up this book as it blow me away. Pure brilliant. I can not recommend this book enough.

I read this mostly based on the many other good reviews, and I must say I was impressed! Myfanwy has lost her memory of who she is, and with just the accounts her previous self had written for her, she has to figure out who she was and what had caused her situation. However, it is not just a simple who-dunnit book. We learn about the world surrounding the supernatural government organisation Myfanwy has been born into as she does, and there is plenty of action to go along with it. This is a perfectly paced, exciting and unpredictable story, which will leave you waiting impatiently for the next in the series.

Our heroine finds herself in the middle of a London park surrounded by dead bodies with no memory of how she got there or, more importantly, who she was. She finds a letter in her pocket which leads to an identity, a job and a secret organisation called the Checquy which keeps our nation safe from the weird, unknown and dark forces that the public are better off not knowing about. Myfanway, our heroine’s newly discovered name, must read the letters and files left by the previous personality of her body and try to work out how to do her job without letting on about her loss of memory. As well as keeping the Checquy working she must uncover the traitor in their midst who is after her. Myfanway is a heroine who is strong and resourceful, yet still has moments of vulnerability as well as a ferocious temper. Despite her initial attempts to hide her new personality she finds she is eminently suited to her new role and decides to assert her authority and powers when necessary. Myfanway is extremely likeable and funny, I can only hope that there is not too long a wait for the next novel. I absolutely loved this. There were parts of the story where I had to stop reading, I really wanted to know what happened next, but did not want to find out if it was something awful. O’Malley is not afraid to kill off characters, just as you get used to someone they are dispatched sometimes with almost unthinking violence. I was ridiculously relieved that two of the characters I had become fond of had not been killed as the ‘Big Bad’ claimed. If you love the weirdness of Charles Stross’ Laundry Files and the subversive humour of Jasper Fforde, you will love this book.

An absolutely amazing book that was a complete joy to read. The level of intrigue is clever and sustained throughout and the supernatural occurences are superbly wacky. I was also impressed by the way the author created and maintained the two sides of Myfanwy. Overall, a weird and compelling modern fantasy.