Kat was a private
detective when she was alive. It was a dirty job, but she did it well - until
one night it all went wrong
And it’s a night she
relives over and over again in Lost Angeles - a cute name for hell. A place
where she can never forget that terrible moment when everything went wrong
But also a place, for
all its chaos and violence, where her skills are still in high demand. Even the
secretive administrators of this hell want to recruit her - and offer some
respite which is the most anyone can want from hell… but the stakes are high
and who can she trust? In hell, can she trust anyone?
This review is hard
to write - because some of the things I love the most is the world building and
the twists connected to this world building. We have a lot of debate about the
nature of hell, a lot of questions and a lot of debate as to which of the
various factions are telling the truth, who is who, what powers they have and
who can be trusted among the dross and doublecross.
And I can’t talk
about any of it without including massive spoilers!!!! But it’s so excellent -
the twists, the debates, how Kat tries to navigate through this despite the
huge stakes involved. She has to choose who to trust with so much on the line -
and those stakes even eclipse her own personal advantage
The way Hell works is
fascinating - Lost Angeles, a city where you can’t leave, where you can’t die.
A city with resources enough to continue indulging all the sins that got you
there in the first place - but a city without rules, a city without any
reassurances or security. And a city where, every night, everyone relives their
worst sin, that which torments them with guild the most.
And a city where
people eventually disappear.
It’s an interesting
concept of hell in and of itself, this Lost Angeles. But as you learn more
about it as Kat investigates we get more and more answers and more and more
twists that really elevates Hell above what we see in the surface - as well as
the nature of demons, god etc - and I can’t talk about any of it without
spoiling this excellent book!
We have Kat as our
protagonist, tough, smart, as good as she can be, as hard as she needs to be,
all without any unnecessary super-power issues: she’s very human but also very
skilled. And while we lack the corny voice over, she does have a lot of the
classic noir traits - the hard drinking, the cynicism and the heart of gold
under it all. I liked her a lot, she was just a perfect rough diamond, no
longer shiny but the sparkle is still there. Following her investigation
through all its twists and turns was an excellent way to both examine the city
and factions, build the world and learn so much about her and how she works
Diversitywise we do
have a number of POC at every angle - her best friend and contact is Enitan, a
Black Nigerian man (and probably the most developed character after Kat
herself). He’s educated a great source of knowledge but definitely not a
servant to Kat - he has his own agendas though i would appreciate them
developed more. Some of the big bosses who run the city are POC as well and one
of the main contacts in the case is a Latino man. There are definitely layers
of racial diversity in the book. There are no LGBTQ characters - but there are
gay jokes and throw away lines casting scorn on gay men which add little to the
book
Kat was a woman who
wanted to become a cop - in a much more sexist time. And being determined and
refusing to be sidelined she became a PI as well. I like in her past how we see
her fighting against sexism, how she had to make more concessions to it to
navigate sexism (taking a lot of cheating spouse cases dressing in a more
overtly masculine manner) ultimately we see a woman who is determined to do
what she wants to do and is very good at that despite the sexism she faces. And
it’s interesting how she doesn’t face as much in Lost Angeles, because,
ultimately, there are enough savage, dangerous and terrifying woman in hell
that people lose these preconceptions quickly.
And while we
definitely have a number of sex workers, there’s no overt shaming of them for
sex work at all. And the take on snuff films is very very surprising.
The nature of the
sins concerns me though - I mean people are being punished for these sins but
some of them need exploring more. I’m especially leery about suicide being
considered a sin given the level of pain and illness that often underlies that.
We also have people who appear to be banished to hell for non-coercive sexual
sins (promiscuity and prostitution are both cast as sinful) and we have a lot
of gambling. A lot of these are representing vices, of course - but they do
seem to be sins that people have actually been condemned for. Which kind of
makes me want to give this god a slap upside the head.
More. More more more
more. The extremely original setting, the compelling, hardboiled female noir
character. The cynicism, the hope, the extra twists and, above all, the ending?
That awesome, excellent twisty ending? I want more. It is so set up for more.
This whole plot has set us up for a truly excellent series - more more more
more! This excellent foundation is demanding something more be built upon it.
