The Raptor & The Wren by Chuck Wendig

Following the death of her Mother, Miriam is squatting in her home in Florida liberating the recently deceased of their now useless medication.  All this changes when a figure from her past arrives on her doorstep with some unsettling news – Miriam’s become somewhat of an obsession for a small group of users on Reddit.  What is even more concerning is that someone is out there playing copy-cat to some of Miriam’s more gruesome killings.  Can Miriam track down and extinguish this hunter before the legend of Miriam Black, “The Angel of Death”, grows out of control.

Guess who’s back?  Back again.  Miriam’s back, tell a friend.

In The Raptor and The Wren, Miriam returns with her filthy mouth and lovely nihilistic demeanor and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Wendig hasn’t missed a step over the course of these five novels in keeping Miriam consistent in both her actions and her creative use of the muddy side of the English language.  Despite her overall negative disposition and self-inflicted emotional damage, she’s very much someone I enjoy spending time with.  Hell, she makes me laugh.

As brutal as the past four books have been when it would come to the violence and emotional damage placed upon Miriam, Chuck Wendig takes it to another level with The Raptor and The Wren.  How exactly Miriam finds the courage to continue on is beyond me, but Chuck writes in such a way that you feel Miriam is performing a delicate balancing act upon a shaky tightrope when only a slight breeze could push her over.  She thrives on the razor’s edge of life.

We’re five books into Miriam’s world and the supporting cast that make up her life are integral to the story that Chuck is telling. Not one character feels like a cardboard cut-out; the consequences of Miriam’s actions in relation to those that she both cares for as well as those she vehemently hates leads to swift and often destructive consequences leaving little room for wasted time within a brisk four hundred pages.

At the conclusion of the novel, Chuck warns the forthcoming installment, Vultures, will bring about the end of the series.  As much as I would want to keep on keeping on when it comes to these books, I’m happy that Wendig has an end goal in mind increasing the likelihood of an incredibly tight six book saga.  If you haven’t read any of these novels yet, you need to get your priorities in order.  Read this now!