Another gripping instalment - 4.5 stars overall

The murder mystery here is fairly low-key - the victim is an actor in a drama company who was stabbed to death on the stage (after hours).

The meat in this one is the growing gulf between Mal and Seong-Jae following Sila's sudden appearance in Seong-Jae's appartment at the end of the previous book. Seong-Jae has known for some time that Sila is somewhere in the background pulling strings, but still hasn't said anything to Malcolm, fearful of exposing him to danger. Mal knows something is up with his boyfriend, but also fears that pushing Seong-Jae for answers is likely to send him further into himself and may possibly even drive him away. Seeing them both stuck in this unhealthy holding pattern is hard - Seong-Jae is at breaking point, Mal doesn't know what to do - and then there's the ever present dread of what might be in the folder given to him by Sade at the end of Backdraft, which Malcolm has still not read.

The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife - and everything is falling apart.

Curt Bonnem delivers another excellent performance - well paced, clearly differentiated, with consistent voices for recurring characters. I noticed "Min Zhe" is pronounced differently than previously but that's a minor point. The real stand out continues to be his portrayals of Malcolm and Seong-Jae, which are spot on - with real gravel in Malcolm's voice, and a dark smoothness to Seong-Jae's - and wonderfully nuanced. I enjoyed the series in print, but the way the narrator really breathes life into these characters makes it even better in audio.

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