The Eleventh Hour: 3 (The King's Watch)

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Very understated 'British' writing so be warned! Dry humour, amusing characters, Britishisms, weirdly wonderful and somehow compulsive.

I also started this when all 10 had been released, being under the impression this was a completed body of work. Now to find out this is not the case, makes me almost regret all the time I've spent on reading these 10, in addition to the 7 novellas!

I was also kind of taken by surprise how one of the repeating characters, Erin, is presented in book 8. I hadn't really noticed any dissent or dislike for her, until it's brought up, quite a few times, in this one. I think at this point, Hayden needs to try and begin to wrap this up. Lengthy series don't generally work out when there's more than a few main characters. And don't even get me started on these "side" novellas that I feel forced to read!!

There's a lot of extraneous material constantly mentioned that could easily be cut. Another reviewer mentioned the wedding, and said it would be more exciting at this point if Conrad and Mina split up, and I hate to say it, but at this juncture, I'd have to agree. We get it by now-they're engaged and there's a wedding/weddings to be had in the future. Under these current circumstances, it's subsequently heading toward it requiring it's own devoted book. Proving himself to be a hugely versatile writer, Attwood has also contributed to the ‘King’s Watch Story’ collection of books. This series has been written alongside other writers, including Lucy Campbell, making him a more than adept novelist. Maintaining a profile both offline and on, he continues to make a name for himself, being highly popular with readers from all over. The first novel that Adrian Attwood would write under his Mark Hayden pen-name was titled ‘A Piece of Blue Sky,’ coming out in 2014. This would also be the first in his ‘Operation Jigsaw Trilogy,’ paving the way for more still to follow in the future. Various other series that he’d write were the ‘Tom Morton’ series, along with the ‘King’s Watch’ urban fantasy series of novels.

Mixed in is a story about a cook and caregiver at a posh treatment center for addicts and eventually this becomes the mystery/crime that Conrad has to solve. It's probably less than 1/4 of the overall book though. Once we get to the actual crime the book has all the great redeeming qualities of the other installments of The King's Watch. Only thing that got the book from the second star to the third. The King is dead and now a new king must be elevated in his place. But, where some see it as a time of grieving and celebration, others see it as a way to change the past. Thrust into the election by circumstance rather than duty, Conrad Clarke and company soon find themselves standing between the Mages of Mowbray and the Daughters of the Goddess as the two negotiate to bring the 7 Kingdoms into the 21st century. There's quite a teaser at the end, so be forewarned that it's coming. It also rather apparent at the beginning of this book, with one of the primary characters brought in, there's more to to the story than is being shared at this point. Without going into further detail, and including any spoilers here, it's heavily hinted at, just as this one comes to a close. I've finished reading the series as far as it goes and I am now waiting eagerly for the next book to be published - sometime around the end of March 2020. I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed an urban fantasy series quite so much, and to the extent that I immediately started reading again, from the start. The writing is deliciously 'British', the characters each have their own distinctive 'voice' and the author uses some subtle and clever ways to change POVs (which doesn't happen very often.) And I LOVE the slight obsession with shrugging!

I thoroughly enjoyed this and really want to reread the series just to extract every last drop of enjoyment from it.FWIW, It's not the first time this has happened - book 8 suffered from similar problems as I covered in my review of that. Superbly narrated by Ciaran Saward, the first two books of the King’s Watch are now available in audio format.