I got this ex-library UK-edition softcover from Better World Books, for another release copy. ["Aidan Truhen" is a pseudonym of Nicholas Cornwell, aka Nick Harkaway, son of John le Carré!] I loved the follow-on book Seven Demons, due in large part to the audiobook narrator's performance, but now that I know how Jack *should* sound I think I can read this book in the same voice!

The premise: at this point in his career, Jack hasn't met the Demons yet, but has built a successful career as a kind of drug middleman - including careful attention to keeping lots of assets completely separate from each other, controlling who knows what about him (ideally, nothing at all), that kind of thing. He's formed a casual relationship with an elderly neighbor in his apartment building, and when she's murdered in what seems to be an attempt to get back at *him*, he... takes umbrage. But as he delves into who might be behind these attacks, he finds that lo! he's been presented to the infamous international assassins the Seven Demons as their next contract, and it's going to take all his cleverness to see tomorrow...

Knowing that not only will he survive but that he'll wind up leading the Demons (the ones that survive this novel, anyway!) does help a bit with the tension, but the real fun of the books is the narrative style - Jack's patter and snark, and the sometimes surreal/silly (while also highly violent) action scenes.

I left this book and its sequel in this new-to-me Little Free Library; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in MA here.]

** Released for the 2023 Oh, the Places We Can Go challenge, for the town of Price, Utah. **