Book Review: The Insider by Craig Schaefer

I really really really like Craig Schaefer’s writing. Whether it’s urban supernatural tales like Ghosts of Gotham or the Harmony Black / Daniel Faust universe, or these Charlie McCabe books, Schaefer just tells a great story. In this second-in-series, we get a lot more insight into what makes Charlie tick and I really enjoyed that. I also really liked getting more insight into Beckett, and I fully expect that enjoyment to continue in future titles, given the way this one ended.

Schaefer also did a great job bringing in new characters to explain recurring ones, and set up the future nicely, leaving readers hungry for more but not hanging off the edge of a cliff by their fingertips. I like that he does that with his books – if you stopped reading at any given one, you would know more was happening but not feel unsatisfied that the adventure you had just been on had stopped rather than ended. Not a lot of series authors can pull that off – or seem interested in doing so. Many seem more interested in leaving you hanging such that you have to buy their next book to finish the story you just read, than in telling a tale that leads you to want to buy it…

If you like good writing, great characterization, original world building, and interesting and complex plots that keep you entertained and engaged, Schaefer is definitely for you…

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation – free review copy.