Rod Duncan

Feeling that she's been left without options, Elizabeth Barnabus takes matters into her own hands, first by confronting the Duke of Northampton and second by agreeing to assist her friend Fabulo in a heist on the International Patent Court in London. But of course things don't go to plan, and soon Elizabeth and her friends are running for their lives ...

While the previous two volumes in the Fall of the Gas-lit Empire sequence were pacey and original, this third volume certainly ups the ante. There are several moments in the book where the tension and suspense are downright nail-biting. The set-up of the heist is incredibly clever and can compete with any heist thriller seen at the cinema. A worthy conclusion of the trilogy, and I can look forward to seeing more of Elizabeth Barnabus in the Map of Unknown Things sequence.… (mer)