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Specters of the Dawn | Rating | |
| A | |||
| S. Andrew Swann | |||
| Series | Related Books | ||
| The Moreau Series | Forests of the Night, Emperors of Twilight, Specters of the Dawn, Fearful Symmetries, Profiteer, Partisian, Revolutionary | ||
When the rabbit moreau waitress Angelica Lopez begins dating the vulpine Byron Dorset, she thinks she's finally found her mate for life. He's charming, handsome, and has the most wonderful British accent she's ever heard. That he's rich is a bonus but actually a secondary consideration. But only a short time into the whirlwind romance, Byron gets killed. That's harsh enough, but now the moreau population is rallying around the death, the local gang is declaring it's only the start, and San Francisco is quickly becoming a powderkeg. Meanwhile somebody is after something Byron had - and might have given to Angela. And they're very, very determined to get it, whatever it is.
Compared to the last book, the start of this one is much, much slower. But that's all right, because the time is well spent, introducing various characters in interesting manners and setting up the whole situation via the romance. And then the events start rolling along, and the story gets truly fascinating. It's another mystery, of course, with everybody trying to find the macguffin, and part of the mystery is to find out just what it is.
That object is, unfortunately, almost painfully obvious to anyone familiar with these types of stories, or even just someone paying attention. Why it's so important is another matter, thankfully. Still, it's a little difficult to believe Angel didn't realize it sooner. Also, the task of unraveling the conspiracy is a little more haphazard, a little more confusing, than in the previous two books. This can be a good thing, looked at correctly; unlike the main characters in them, Angel is no federal agent or private investigator, so the less organized approach might just be good writing. Luckily, the pieces begin to fall into place at last just about the time when I started to feel lost.
The ending is nicely climactic, with a very satisfying denouement. And somehow the scope feels broader in this book than the others, even the first, and even before we do find out what everyone is after. It is a little harder to follow the clues, however, making mystery lovers frustrated by a difficulty in solving it all ahead of time. Still, I found it a good read and a nice continuation of the setting. It's not neccessary to have read the first two books beforehand, but if you did and you liked them, you'll certainly like this one.
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