Last year I shifted way out of my comfort zone and read Fallible Justice (you can read the review here), the first in the Wilde Investigations series by Laura Laakso. A crime/fantasy hybrid is something I ordinarily would have steered clear of – but I was drawn to the book, and although it took a little while to get into it, I ended up being absolutely hooked and desperate to read the follow up, Echo Murder.
Was it worth the wait?
Bloody hell, yes and then some! I thought I enjoyed Fallible Justice, but this corker just popped my socks right off!
We rejoin Yannia just a day after the ending of Fallible Justice whilst she is en route to return to the Wild Folk with Dearon. For me, these scenes and the conflict Yannia feels, really cemented my love for her character. I liked her in the first novel, but seeing her in this setting was like adding the final jigsaw piece, creating a whole and rounded character.
She is soon back in London and working on a new case; Tim Wedgebury, an unspectacular office worker has been killed twice. Except that his body disappeared (twice), and he is actually alive and well and wondering what the frijiggle is going on, especially as each ‘death’ comes to impact his reality a little more each time. Reunited with her best friend and apprentice, Karrion, they are soon working hard to solve the mystery and along the way meet up once more with Wishearth and Lady Bergamon – both of whom I desperately want to know more about!
Laura’s ability to create this new and imagined world is seriously impressive. I struggled with it at times whilst reading Fallible Justice; it felt so big and it overwhelmed me a little, especially with me being new to the genre. But in Echo Murder the world feels tangible, and Laura is owning it! It is incredibly well written, and I love her writing style.
Please can someone tell me when book three is out, because I need to clear my diary – The Wilde Investigations series is my latest obsession!
Synopsis
Yannia Wilde returns to the Wild Folk conclave where she grew up, and to the deathbed of her father, the conclave’s Elderman. She is soon drawn back into the Wild Folk way of life and into a turbulent relationship with Dearon, to whom she is betrothed.
Back in London, unassuming office worker Tim Wedgebury is surprised when police appear on his doorstep with a story about how he was stabbed in the West End. His body disappeared before the paramedics’ eyes. Given that Tim is alive and well, the police chalk the first death up to a Mage prank. But when Tim “dies” a second time, Detective Inspector Jamie Manning calls Yannia and, torn between returning to the life she has built in Old London and remaining loyal to the conclave and to Dearon, she strikes a compromise with the Elderman that allows her to return temporarily to the city.
There she sets about solving the mystery of Tim’s many deaths with the help of her apprentice, Karrion. They come to realise that with every death, more of the echo becomes reality, and Yannia and Karrion find themselves in increasing danger as they try to save Tim. Who is the echo murderer? What sinister game are they playing? And what do they truly want?
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.
*My thanks to Louise Walters for the ARC copy. The decision to read was my own and this review forms my honest opinion.
Emma R. 
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