Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
One Foot in the Fade is is the third Fetch Phillips noir mystery by Luke Arnold. Released 26th April 2022 by Orbit Books, it's 464 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.
This is a gritty urban fantasy noir PI tale in an impressive trilogy which is -hopefully- slated to turn into a series. In my mind, it goes to roughly the same subcategory as Glen Cook, Ben Aaronovitch (but much grittier, less humorous, and more Chandler-esque than either), John D. MacDonald (with the same melancholy tarnished knight feel), and an authentic George Sims vibe (whose oeuvre I heartily recommend and for anyone unfamiliar with this great unsung British noir writer go find his work). The book is not derivative, however, and the author has a clear and unique voice of his own which captivated me from book one. The characters have developed well over the last two books, and the backstory is complex enough and the previous books are well written enough, that reading them before this, the third-and-hopefully-not-last book is recommended.
The plotting is meticulous and well wrought. The characterization is spot on and the author's command of dialogue is pitch perfect. This is a genuinely well written richly engaging book in a very well written series. With three books extant, it would be a good candidate for a weekend binge read.
Four and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reviewed by annieb123 on
Reading updates
- 18 December, 2022: Started reading
- 18 December, 2022: Finished reading
- 18 December, 2022: Reviewed