The Hanged Man

Today's post is on The Hanged Man by P. N. Elrod. It is 333 pages long and is published by TOR. The cover has a the main character standing in London fog. The intended reader is someone who likes alternate history, steampunk, and good writing. There is mild language, no sex, and violence in this book. The story is told from third person close of the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- On a freezing Christmas Eve in 1879, a forensic psychic reader is summoned from her Baker Street lodgings to the scene of a questionable death. Alexandrina Victoria Pendlebury (named after her godmother, the current Queen of England) is adamant that the death in question is a magically compromised murder and not a suicide, as the police had assumed, after the shocking revelation contained by the body in question, Alex must put her personal loss aside to uncover the deeper issues at stake, before more bodies turn up.
Turning to some choice allies—the handsome, prescient Lieutenant Brooks, the brilliant, enigmatic Lord Desmond, and her rapscallion cousin James—Alex will have to marshal all of her magical and mental acumen to save Queen and Country from a shadowy threat. Our singular heroine is caught up in this rousing gaslamp adventure of cloaked assassins, meddlesome family, and dark magic.

Review- A wonderful and fast-paced action story from a master of her craft. This is steampunk at its best. The characters, the plot, the world building are all first rate. Alex is an excellent investigator. Lieutenant Brooks is a man fighting to be who he wants to be. And James is some of the best parts. He is so over the top about everything. Alex is attacked by the bad guys during a party that James is hosting is one of the funniest scenes in the book. The villains had good reasons for what they were trying to do and there is more that they could do. I hope that this is the first in a series because I want more of everything I found here.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.