Fallible Justice by Laura Laakso

I shall start by being perfectly honest – a crime/fantasy novel is not something I would ordinarily read. However, when I read the synopsis for Fallible Justice there was something in it that sang to me, and I knew that I had to read it!

The author, Laura Laakso has created an entirely different reality in this novel. Her main character Yannia Wilde, is a Private Investigator living completely out of her element in Old London, where magic folk co-exist with ordinary humans. Underpinning their tentative co-existence is the infallible justice system, where verdicts are delivered by the all-seeing Heralds. When Yannia and Karrion work together on a case to prove that a man declared guilty of murder is actually innocent, what begins is one hell of an exciting race against time!

Fallible Justice is definitely ambitious, and it feels very much in the same vein as a pilot episode for a top new television show; its fabulous, I’m hooked but I feel as if there is so much more to come! The plot is great and it really draws you in, but it’s the creation of this whole new, amazing world which is the very soul of the novel.

It is the type of book that you could easily pick up and binge read; the characters are authentic with the friendship between Yannia and Karrion in particular taking centre stage. It is fast paced, with the weighting between ‘action’ and scene setting perfectly weighted and the writing is beautiful. The descriptive prose is just lovely and wonderfully evokes the senses; the scenes in Lady Bergamon’s garden being a particular favourite of mine.

My only very small gripe would be that as the author is creating an entirely new reality, I as the reader could have done with a glossary to keep track of all the new terminology. As much as I would have loved to have sat and read in one sitting, I sadly picked the worst week to pick up Fallible Justice and my time with this fantastic novel was punctuated with A&E visits and sick kids. As a result, as well as being unused to this genre I felt a bit disconnected to the novel early on and felt that I paid far too much attention trying to remember or flipping back to fact check, rather than just losing myself in the story. I found that as soon as I had got everything sorted in my mind, I fell into the novel headlong and could not wait to sit and read! I just wonder if I had a glossary to refresh my mind if I could have fallen for this novel earlier?

That said, the story is so incredibly enjoyable. As I’ve said above, it felt very much like an introduction and I was so intrigued by the tantalising tidbits and hints woven throughout of what is to come in future novels. I nearly cried in frustration at the ending as it is left on the very precipice of the follow up, Echo Murder, which I will definitely be reading! I closed the novel feeling fully invested in this new reality and in Yannia. I am very excited about what is to come! As wonderful as Fallible Justice is, I feel very strongly that the best is yet to come, Laura Laakso is definitely an author I will be keeping a very close eye on!

Synopsis

“I am running through the wilderness and the wilderness runs through me”

In Old London, where paranormal races co-exist with ordinary humans, criminal verdicts delivered by the all-seeing Heralds of Justice are infallible. After a man is declared guilty of murder and sentenced to death, his daughter turns to private investigator Yannia Wilde to do the impossible and prove the Heralds wrong.

Yannia has escaped a restrictive life in the Wild Folk conclave where she was raised, but her origins mark her as an outsider in the city. Those origins lend her the sensory abilities of all of nature. Yet Yannia is lonely and struggling to adapt to life in the city. The case could be the break she needs. She enlists the help of her only friend, a Bird Shamen named Karrion, and together they accept the challenge of proving a guilty man innocent.

So begins a breathless race against time and against all conceivable odds. Can Yannia and Karrion save a man who has been judged infallibly guilty?

About the Author

Laura Laakso is a Finn who has lived for most of her adult life in England. She is an accountant, dog trainer and author. Fallible Justice is her debut novel and the first in her paranormal crime series, Wilde Investigations.

* I was provided with a free copy of Fallible Justice however, the choice to read and review was my own. This review forms my honest opinion.