Tidhar’s final volume in the Bookman Histories brings us more of the mysterious Bookman. We follow Smith, a secret agent in the mould of the Cold War spy, as he comes out of ignominious retirement for a last job. Ageing, tired, but still handy with a blade, Smith seeks the murderer of Mycroft Holmes, and to unravel a complex mystery whose importance grows as the book goes on. The spare prose requires the reader to bring attention to this gripping conclusion to the Bookman Histories – an excellent story, which avoids falling into tropes, maintains its humanity and delivers in spades.