Last Violent Call by Chloe Gong is a firecracker of a book and it bursts with tension, drama, and a touch of domestic bliss too.
As a disclaimer, while this works as a separate follow up to These Violent Delights, I personally think this is best read having read the original duology and Foul Lady Fortune. This reading order allows you to fully appreciate the character development, intricate details alluded to in other books, and of course, Gong’s trademark emotional anguish.
It is no surprise to anyone that I absolutely loved this book. Gong transports us back to some of our favourite characters with excellent surprises and twists in store. I hoped and dreamed that Roma and Juliette had escaped the cruel fate of their literary predecessors, but also loved how ambiguous Gong left their ending. We suffered through breadcrumbs and hints in the epilogue of Our Violent Ends and that note in Foul Lady Fortune. Finally, we are awarded with a return to our favourite spitfire gangsters. As always, their chemistry is second to none. In their own spin on domestic bliss, that chemistry has only blossomed more. The familiarity and joy evoked from this novella honestly almost let me forgive Gong for all the heartbreak so far. The keyword there being almost. There is still plenty of emotional turmoil to go through in this spying, serial killer thriller. The layers of mystery to unpick are fascinating and allow for the kickass moments we have come to expect from this dynamic duo.
Benedikt and Marshall are also back in their own thrilling adventure. This was an interesting way to look at their dynamics within their relationship and how political factions are shifting in the larger picture. The locked-in setting of the train heightens the tension and claustrophobia, especially when you add in spying, disguises and death. It felt very Agatha Christie meets the Ineffable Husbands, with a playful, bantering dynamic that also got serious and dark as needed. The way these two characters interact is always incredibly enjoyable and seeing how they’ve progressed as husbands is fantastic. Also, the way Gong ties the two stories together is nothing short of perfection. It is so impressive to me how this vast, layered and complex narrative is slowly being spun together in time for Foul Heart Huntsman later this year. It is the culmination of so much work, with Gong cleverly bringing back some of our favourites just in time. You feel everything hurtling towards its explosive conclusion and it honestly built up so much more hype, even though I thought I could not be any more hyped.
Last Violent Call is the pit stop in the series that brings all the strands together and combines romance, humour, political thrillers, and a murder mystery into one maelstrom of a book. The powder keg is set; now we wait for Gong to light the fuse once more.
Last Violent Call is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up Last Violent Call? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Chloe Gong comes two captivating new novellas surrounding the events of Foul Lady Fortune and following a familiar cast of characters from the These Violent Delights Duet!
In A Foul Thing, Roma and Juliette have established themselves as the heads of an underground weapons ring in Zhouzhuang, making a living the way they do best while remaining anonymous in their peaceful, quiet life. But when they hear about several Russian girls showing up dead in nearby towns, they decide to investigate—and ultimately discover that this mystery is much closer to home than they ever imagined.
In This Foul Murder, Benedikt and Marshall have been summoned by Roma to find the elusive scientist, Lourens, and bring him to Zhouzhuang. Time is of the essence aboard the week-long Trans-Siberian Express, but when someone is murdered on board, Benedikt and Marshall convince the officer in charge not to stop the train so that they aren’t thrown off-schedule. Instead, they pretend that they are investigators and promise they can solve the murder, but as they dig deeper, they realize that the murder might having surprising ties to their own mission…
