Book Review: Jack Gilmour: Wish Lawyer by Ed Ryder

This was a fun read, with a great set up that begs for more books… The idea of a lawyer who specializes in soul-selling contracts is hardly a stretch (I can make that joke, as a lawyer myself!), but surprisingly enough, it hasn’t been played out yet (that I’ve seen) and I found it a great construct that offered thoroughly entertaining possibilities. Jack’s noir personality is a great foil for the more modern messes he finds himself cleaning up, and sets up a nice contrast between old- and new-school.

The story moved along at a mostly solid pace – there were a few times that the book lagged a bit and felt like it needed a tighter edit. It felt a little rough around the edges, and while that worked alright for the format and story, I think that with a little tweaking this could really be an exceptional series.

Some of the demonic interactions felt a little rushed – I am still not entirely sure I understand how that world works, although that may be the plan if this is a first-in-series. There were a few places where the transition between plot elements felt rushed, but I appreciated the author’s desire to keep it short, sweet, and to the point as much as possible – it kept the flow going and kept me engaged, even if occasionally flipping back a page to make sure I hadn’t missed a connection.

It all worked itself out into a satisfactory ending, and I never felt truly lost, but there were a few spots where a little more explanation about the connections between people/demons would have helped tighten the story. Still, even saying all of that, it was a very enjoyable book – the writing was easy to engage with and the plot fun to follow through, and I will definitely keep an eye out for more adventures with Jack!

My review copy was provided by NetGalley.