Relight My Fire by C. K. McDonnell
Publication Date: January 25, 2024
Summary from Goodreads:
Some comebacks can be murder . . .
Stella is enjoying life as an almost student, or at least she is until a man falls from the sky right in front of her, leaving a big old hole in the pavement for Manchester Council to fill. The obvious question of how he ended up in the sky in the first place has no obvious answers, which is where The Stranger Times come in. This isn’t just the hunt for another story though. Dark powers think Stella might have been involved and the only way she and the team can prove her innocence is to find out what the hell is really going on. What have dodgy gear, disturbed graves and a decommissioned rock star got to do with all this?
Vincent Banecroft has problems of his own in the form of a tall, dark but-definitely-not-handsome man dressed like a one-man funeral who has been sent to make the paper’s editor atone for his sins. Once he finds out exactly what that entails, Banecroft is not keen. Being banished to a Hellscape for all eternity looks like being no fun at all, not least because he has that pale Irish skin that burns really easily . . .
All that plus territorial ghouls, homicidal felines, eternal (and seemingly unstoppable) gnomes and a celebrity ‘Who’s Who’ that’d put a royal wedding to shame, and you’re looking at a wild few days for The Stranger Times .
Confession:
For those of you unfamiliar with the urban fantasy series, Stranger Times, here is a quick recap. The Stranger Times is a weekly newspaper, based in Manchester, UK, that publishes all those stories too weird for the mainstream press. In book one, The Stranger Times, the small group of reporters discovers that some of the stories they print are actually true. They set off to investigate a murder and end up uncovering some darker forces that have been keeping an eye on them for better or worse. This is a dark comedy series that will keep you laughing even when things look very bleak for our intrepid reporters.
In this fourth installment, the group finds itself investigating a string of unusual reports about people flying, falling through walls and the like and soon link it to a new drug making its way through the bars and clubs. With the help of the police, mainly DI Sturgess, they uncover a plot to bring back from the dead the band to beat all bands.
I continue to love all of the characters in this series. The reporters and others that help to make the newspaper run, as well as the quirky characters they meet along the way. I especially like Hannah and Stella, both of whom are strong, smart women, who always manage to find their way through. It is a full on cast of characters that will make you laugh even when things are dark, and you will certainly even find yourself cheering for them to catch the bad guys ( who by the way you will also love).
The plot is very fast moving, and you will find yourself constantly wanting to read just one more chapter. I love the descriptions of Manchester and of the characters as well. There are also little short chapter endings of news stories that have nothing to do with the story, but are often hilarious. The dialogue is very witty and often sprinkled with very dry humor.
If you are looking for a fun urban fantasy series with a great ensemble cast, hilarious scenarios of the supernatural sort, combined with brilliant storytelling, than this is a series that you should consider reading. But please start with the first book, diving in with this one would leave you a bit lost. That said, I think this one may be my favorite and I am anxiously waiting for the next installment. But for now I will have to feed my Stranger Times addiction with their hilarious podcast, aptly named The Stranger Times, and found wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Confessions of a Serial Reader 