Book Review: Grindhelm's Key

My rating: 5 spooky stars!


From the time Trev Irvin discovered his sight, his life has been as he discontentedly grumbles, 'Nothing but smooth sailing.'
He spends his Friday evenings sailing through the air and landing on his back while facing something that looked like the offspring of an improbable one-night stand in between a horse and a porcupine.
He has been practically declared UK's foremost walking health-hazard and if any more people died in his company he suspects he'd be probably issued with a black robe and a scythe.
He arrives at work battered and bruised, which doesn't really help his performance and the rotten cherry on top of a very mouldy cake is that even Barry is out-performing him.

So Trev finds himself on his final warning at SmoothMove estate agents. He’s been given a short time in which to convince the management he’s worth keeping on, and he can’t afford any distractions or slip-ups. Such as his ex-girlfriend Sarah calling him out of the blue to tell him that she’s being held hostage and needs his help, or a psychotic zombie with a soul-sucking lantern ambushing him in an alley - the infamous Mr. Smith. Sadly both those things happen within the space of twenty-four hours, and neither can be ignored.

Whoever this Smith was, he was as sane as a concrete chicken at a roller disco and if Trev was to outwit the half-decomposed psychopath he needed to think on his feet. Which was yet again a pretty difficult task for him to achieve, since he is already running on fumes. The fact that he goes through his morning routine like a sloth on tranquilisers should be enough of a sign that Trev needs a break. Unfortunately, the supernatural has other plans and Trev is yet again hurled head-first one seemingly hopeless situation after another.

'Granddad', Trev said. 'Do you get the feeling that there's a lot of shit going on in the background here that we know absolutely bugger-all about?
And do you also get the feeling that the aforementioned lack of knowledge is going to bite us pretty badly on the arse sometime very soon?'
'Regrettably, yes.'

Trev needs to figure out a way to find Sarah, who’s been caught while trying to steal a dangerous item from its owner. But there are a number of other parties who also want the item, and they’re looking for Sarah too. To get to her first, Trev’s going to need the help of all his allies: his Granddad, a veteran Custodian; Oscar, the sardonic possessed cat; Agatha, the prudish Victorian ghost; as well as that of Miss Pine, the leader of the Werewolves'Self-Help Group and that of the aloof Druids.
Against his better judgement, Trev's also going to need the help and resources of the Custodians themselves, which presents a problem. There’s a traitor in the organisation who wants Trev dead. And this might just be the opportunity they’ve been waiting for.

A high paced adventure with lots of twists and turns that you won't see coming, filled with snarky comments, witty banter and downright laugh-out-loud moments, this 4th installment in The Brackenford Cycle makes for a pretty cool and entertaining read. New elements and characters are added, old villains resurface and a downright awesome creep has the stage. I absolutely loved it!

If you're in a mood for some great Urban Fantasy with a touch of horror and more than a pint of first class supernatural, this is the perfect choice for you. In fact, I'd wager it is a MUST READ! and highly recommend it!

Happy reading Bookdragons and smooth sailing! :)

Check out this book and more of Nick Moseley here