(Disclosure: Received an ARC from the author.)

This is a dark view into a broken psyche, and what someone will do when they think they're untethered from anything and anyone who's important to them. It is, at times, very hard to sympathize with Gibson – moreso than in prior books in this series – which I think was FitzSimmons' point. Sure, you can focus on what he does – and like me, you'll probably find it hard to excuse it. But it's just as important to think about why he is doing it, and what drove him to that point... and then you see the law of unintended consequences play out through the course of the book.

As with earlier books featuring Gibson Vaughn, I liked the attention to detail, the minutiae that lend credibility to the characters and their actions. (Yet again, FitzSimmons gets his tech right – something I always appreciate because so few authors invest the time to understand what it means to actually compromise systems.) I also liked that the book felt different than any others I've read – sure, it's a revenge fantasy of a sort. But it's not in the John Wick category of revenge, where the main character kicks butt and always looks good doing it. This is unflinching, at times brutal, and nuanced.

FitzSimmons does a good job moving Vaughn's story forward, and giving some additional color to past developments that flesh out the world in which he operates. Already looking forward to where Vaughn and the other characters go from here.