Snarky necromancer bloke in Murder on the Orient Airship.

Maintains the same uneasy balance of "and then Cabal did this amazing thing" followed by him basically being a snarky humourless bloke that the first book did. The story in this one is better and more believeable, though. Also, much, much more information about the world; Europe seems to be fragmented into Holmes-era little territories which each have princes and whatnot, but that's maintained into roughly the present day. Am sure actual historian people would be all "but but but what about this, and that, and the other, and how does the world look if the two world wars never happen, and, and, and", but I don't care; it makes a good backdrop for stories, and lets Howard (who did Broken Sword, I found out!) indulge himself with a world with guns and swords and airships and things made of brass and everything.

Johannes and Horst, together again! I'm warming quite a lot to the lack of wonder in the prose of the Cabal books, especially since it's all so deadpan funny as well. Once again JC basically has everything worked out before getting into the fight, so he wins... and the ruthless ceaseless rationality is more attractive as something to emulate than perhaps it should be. There are just enough flashes of humanity and conscience that he's not an arse, and he knows this and doesn't like it which makes it all the better. Horst now less cool than his little brother.

Also, more authorial voice from Howard, the author, who seemingly harbours secret dreams of being Lemony Snicket and does a very good job of it. I read the nasty epilogue, of course.