As book two in Lilith Saintcrow's Bannon and Clare series opens Archibold Clare, mentath in service to Queen and Empire has settled into a somewhat complacent state, pursuing his arch nemesis and fellow mentath, the thief Francis Vance, sometimes at the expense of his duty to the crown. Emma Bannon is still a loyal servant to eternal Britannia and her mortal shell Victrix but she soon finds her loyalties shaken by events beyond the scope of her magic.

Bannon and Clare are called upon to seek out a missing scientist. Before the search is over it becomes clear that Londoninium and indeed the world is at risk from a danger whose seeds lie deeply buried in the past. It will be a race against time and the vagaries of chance if any hope of survival is to remain.

I have been eagerly anticipating THE RED PLAGUE AFFAIR. I thoroughly enjoyed the first Bannon and Clare novel, The Iron Wyrm Affair and in fact enjoyed it just as much, and perhaps more when re-reading it a month ago. The support characters introduced during book one are covered well, while new information is revealed about the heroes and those closest to them.

Saintcrow has a gift for crafting well-paced and exciting plots and peopling them with characters you come to care about, even those who might otherwise be considered anti- heroes. She strikes a delicate balance between showing the raw truth of what Emma Bannon is required to do for Queen and Empire and revealing vulnerabilities that make her, regardless of her actions, a sympathetic character. Clare's mentath characteristics might be perceived as cold and distancing in the hands of another author, but again Lilith Saintcrow gives us a wonderful balance between the hyperfocus of a man who lives mostly in his mind and the unknowing connections and loyalties he garners from those around him. I particularly relished the devotion shown to Clare by Italian assassin Valentinelli.

I think the very best part of the series is the setting Saintcrow has established in the alternate universe of Londoninium, rife with clockworks, steam and magic it is among the best of the books in the Steampunk genre.

In the end, what matters is THE RED PLAGUE AFFAIR was worth the wait. With danger as imminent and catastrophe as dire as we experienced in book one, Saintcrow leads us on another thrilling ride through Londoninium with my two favorite investigators.