The Lost Plot is the fourth book in Genevieve Cogman’s excellent Invisible Library series and therefore this review may contain spoilers for the previous books.

To be honest, she was having fun being Jeanette Smith, Crime Boss. It was much less nerve-racking than being Irene Winters, Librarian.

It’s a sign of how much I adore Irene and company that this book when straight from doorstep to the top of my groaning TBR. For those that don’t know, Irene is a Librarian who collects books from alternate worlds in order to strengthen The Library’s connections to those worlds. Her apprentice is a dragon, Kai, who spends most of his time in human form.

If the worst that comes of this is you being stuck in a cellar for half an hour with nothing to read, then we’ve been lucky.

The Library prides itself on its neutrality, not getting involved in fae or dragon politics (the fae thrive in high chaos worlds, and the dragons prefer high order). So when Irene is approached by a dragon with news of a Librarian helping a bid for the throne, she knows she must act fast to prevent the downfall of The Library. They cannot be seen to be for hire. And she’d be a handy scapegoat if anything went wrong…

This instalment takes Irene and Kai to an alternate prohibition America, where gangs and illegal alcohol are not hard to find. I loved this setting! A case of mistaken identity gives Irene a suitable disguise as they hunt down the rogue Librarian.

Irene hoped that none of her enemies ever realized how much she was driven by an urge to find out how, what, where, when and, in this case, who.

These books are loads of fun and they poke fun at tropes as well as being pacey fantasy adventures. There are cab chases, gangsters molls, speakeasies and a lot of books. Whilst the other books have focused a little more on the fae, here we learn more about the dragons, and how some of them go about their courts. I liked that Alberich didn’t suddenly reappear this time and the story could go in a different direction, although I suppose he *could* still be alive…

The Lost Plot is published by Tor and will be available in paperback and ebook editions from 14th December 2017. Thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

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Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free of charge for review purposes only. Receipt of a book does not guarantee a review or endorsement. My reviews are my honest opinion and are not biased for the purpose of personal gain.