When I interviewed Peter McLean last year to help promote the release of the second volume in the War of the Rose Throne series, we talked about his other works and I was intrigued by the premise of his first trilogy. Thanks to the folks at Angry Robot, I was able to get my hands on Drake, first installment in the Burned Man series.

And I'm sure glad I gave the book a shot, because it was a fun and entertaining read!

Here's the blurb:

Hitman Don Drake owes a gambling debt to a demon. Forced to carry out one more assassination to clear his debt, Don unwittingly kills an innocent child and brings the Furies of Greek myth down upon himself.

Rescued by an almost-fallen angel called Trixie, Don and his magical accomplice The Burned Man, an imprisoned archdemon, are forced to deal with Lucifer himself whilst battling a powerful evil magician.

Now Don must foil Lucifer’s plan to complete Trixie’s fall and save her soul whilst preventing the Burned Man from breaking free from captivity and wreaking havoc on the entire world.

A dark and lugubrious London is the backdrop for this novel. The veil between the British capital and the underworld is relatively thin in certain areas and creatures of the night can often be found lurking around. Calling Drake a hitman is a bit of a stretch, however. He's more of an alcoholic deadbeat magician whose powers come from a small animated idol which is in truth a bound archdemon called the Burned Man. Drake must feed the idol with his own blood and with its help he summons demonic entities from hell to dispatch his victims. Hence the label hitman, even though he kills his targets without dirtying his own hands with their blood. But when a job goes awry and results in the shocking death of an innocent child, Drake finds himself consumed with grief and guilt. This finally convinces him that it is high time to leave his bloody line of work forever. Alas, the demon he's indebted to is not a compassionate and understanding soul.

Drake is a fast-paced and witty urban fantasy novel. Noirish in style and tone, it makes for a compelling read. The only thing that some readers might find a bit offputting is that the book is filled with lots of British slang. Nothing to worry about, as you always get the gist of it and the story takes place in London, after all. But given that Angry Robot publishes works on both sides of the Atlantic, I would have thought that they might have downplayed this aspect a little.

The story is told from the perspective of Don Drake. First person narratives can be tricky things, but witnessing events unfold through the eyes of such a flawed protagonist makes for an enjoyable reading experience. Like Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden, Don Drake is not always the sharpest tool in the shed. However, Drake has a veritable knack for always making the wrong decisions and seldom learning from his mistakes. In that regard, he makes Harry Dresden look like the soul of wisdom. Drake has his heart in the right place, but he is a coward and can't seem to find the strength to ever do the right thing. Until everything is on the line and he has no choice. The supporting cast is comprised of violent femmes fatales, over-the-top villains, and everything else in between.

Drake is an urban fantasy work that reads like a classic noir mystery. The pace is fluid throughout and there is not a dull moment between its covers. The novel works as a stand-alone, but it sets the stage for what should be equally entertaining and hilarious sequels.

If you are looking for a fun page-turner featuring a lovable dumbass protagonist to help you cope with confinement during this pandemic, Peter McLean's Drake might just be what the doctor ordered!

The final verdict: 7.5/10

For more info about this title, check out these Amazon Associate links: Canada, USA, Europe

In hardcover:

Stephen King's If It Bleeds debuts at number 1. For more info about this title, follow these Amazon Associate links: Canada, USA, Europe.

Leaky sauce bottle now leaks a soft warm glow. I used the ÖRTFYLLD as a soy sauce and vinegar bottle, but the one for soy sauce was leaking and rusting in the lid and bottle holder. That’s when I starting wondering … I had a lot of ideas on what I could do with the […]

The post A small accent lamp from a most unlikely IKEA item appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

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The post Q: Need help with IKEA PAX crooked toe kick appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

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The post See this guy’s striking IKEA makeover during lockdown appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

Converting an IKEA PS 2014 lamp to resemble the iconic Star Wars’ Death Star is hands down one of the most popular hacks on IKEAhackers. Star Wars fans can’t resist exploding the Death Star in their own living room. Many have attempted it with slightly different approaches. Find one that suits your DIY level and […]

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Remove the arms on POÄNG in 2 steps. I liked to type on my laptop while sitting in my old POÄNG. While it was mostly very comfy, my elbows were constrained by the armrests. They had to go. Buy POÄNG armchair | IKEA.com Materials and Tools: POÄNG armchair Wood Saw 4x 40mm screws Drill and […]

The post How to remove the arms from your IKEA POÄNG armchair appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

When we renovated  our bedroom last year we built in lots of PAX storage. We built a large wardrobe with grey gloss sliding doors. Photo: IKEA.com We then used the 35cm deep frames to create open storage opposite the end of the bed. IKEA items: White PAX Frame White KOMPLEMENT Drawers This provides open shelving […]

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DIY meatball recipe till the day we can go to IKEA again. If you’ve been missing the whole IKEA experience, you can now have a slice of it at home, in the form of its famous Swedish meatballs. IKEA recently released its signature recipe via Twitter, the cooking steps depicted in its usual assembly instruction […]

The post IKEA shares meatball recipe so you can have it at home appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

It took me almost a year to figure it out. I sent a help request in 2019 but here is my attempt at a renter-friendly room divider.  You can get this up by only drilling 4 holes, 2 in the wall and 2 on the ceiling easy to fill up with putty when you are […]

The post How to hack a renter-friendly room divider appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

I love the clean and simple lines of the IKEA GODMORGON sink and wall cabinets for the bathroom. However, they can sometimes look a little standard or low grade. In this IKEA hack, we upgraded the GODMORGON vanity look with a live edge white oak countertop, chrome handles, Kohler top-mount sinks and wall-mounted Grohe faucets […]

The post IKEA bathroom vanity gets a luxurious live edge upgrade appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

I’ve been transforming my house into a farmhouse style and I wanted to replace my IKEA STIG bar stools for more rustic ones. I even considered the INGOLF stools but I couldn’t find it in plain wood colour, just black or white. Besides, I couldn’t afford to buy new stools at this moment. So, I decided to grab what […]

The post From a simple IKEA STIG to a unique farmhouse stool appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

So I want to copy this behind the sofa storage unit, similar to this image: Source: Yellow Brick Home I had the thought of using the VADHOLMA open storage (20 x 80cm) on both ends, some L brackets and a pre-cut slab of wood. VADHOLMA open storage | IKEA.com I am a total DIY novice […]

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Give your “home office” a virtual makeover with these free zoom backgrounds from IKEA. Just a few months ago, few of us imagined having a home office, let alone working from home full-time. But here we are. We’ve all probably sat in way too many zoom meetings … always tidying up before the call. Quickly, […]

The post IKEA free backgrounds for more stylish zoom calls appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

We had space in our kitchen for more counters, but to get the real thing easily cost double or triple this PLATSA hack!  This was incredibly easy to assemble, and bonus we can move it around if we wish for a kitchen trolley (which is also double the cost of this hack). I do wonder […]

The post Easy kitchen countertop from an unexpected storage unit appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

The 2019 Farmers' Almanac is available for pre-order! (Ships August 13th)

♐ Sagittarius - Archer (Thighs)

Evening - FAIR

Seeds planted now will do poorly and yield little.

The Moon's current percentage of illumination is 92%.

Dry Fruits and Vegetables, Cut Hair to Slow Growth, Mow...

Start each day of your outdoor adventure with a piping hot cup of coffee or tea in one of our Farmers' Almanac Campfire Mugs. Each mug is 14 ounces, made out of lightweight but sturdy steel, and can be used to sip your favorite drink, or eat baked beans by the fire.

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And I bring you..

Malham Tarn

While driving home I noticed a police car and said out loud “hello Mr police car”.  Which made me think of magpies as people say hello to them as a way of keeping the bad luck away.* Anyway that made me wonder if there was also a counting rhyme for police cars.. One for sadness, … Continue reading Thinking and driving →

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Ok not today but recently…

Finished my first book of the year on new year’s day is a bit of an achievement, but I did start it a month or so ago. The book focuses on his last year as a professional cyclists and insights into life in the peloton. Not quite as satisfying read as the Fall and Rise … Continue reading Book #1 – David Miller – The Racer →

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