Conned (Bureau #6)

The Bureau is a new series for me. I hesitated selecting Conned because it was book six in the series. Im a series nerd and thought I would have to read all the books but with The Bureau as the books can be read as stand-alone, I didnt have to. All the stories deal in different areas of the paranormal: angels, vampires, ghosts, magic, etc.

In Conned the story takes place in 1928 San Francisco. After several moves Thomas Donne finds himself settling in San Francisco. He was once a London Metropolitan Police Officer but now a private dick. His past experience in war and life has left him building a wall around his heart and never revealing his feelings. Hes figuring a way to get his finances in order and move into the office. Thomas gets lucky when he gets offered a case to find a missing boy.

The case leads him to Abraham Ferencz, who is known by several other names. Abraham is skilled as a con artist in magic and seances. When Thomas attends Abrahams show he doesnt believe in what Abraham can do. Eventually, with too many bodies turning up, Thomas and Abraham team up and it leads to many scary and dangerous situations.

Kim Fielding creates another eerie and mystifying story with a mix of magic, mystery, ghosts, dybbuk, ibbur, seances that put Abraham in danger and can lead to death. But whats really scary are the evil, greedy men who use and hurt others to gain power and fortune.

I liked the connection that builds between Thomas and Abraham and they work well together. Theres also a secondary character: Crespo who is an agent of the bureau and seems to have a specialty of his own. He also presents an interesting offer to Thomas and Abraham. Birdie was a great character, he was pretty much a hero.

Fielding also sprinkles the story with history and gives quite the tour of the San Francisco locale. She brings to the forefront an eerie and somewhat sad painting Menin Gate at Midnight painted by William Longstaff. Also take note of The Bureau of Trans-Species Affairs information at the end of the novella.
Just a mention for The Bureau: Volume 1 with narration by Joel Leslie which I really enjoyed. Volume 2 is in the works also being narrated by Joel Leslie. Im excited for that and wondering whats next from Kim Fielding and The Bureau Stories.

Probably a 4.5 score for me but rounded up due to some interesting twists and neat tie-ins to the previous books in the series. Thomas Donne has fled to America to escape his memories of the war and ends up in San Francisco. While on a case, he meets Abraham Ferencz, a magician and confidence man with whom he finds himself sharing quite a bit of chemistry. The two join forces to solve a deepening mystery around them and find themselves falling for one another.

As usual, Fielding does a good job of depicting characters who are somewhat flawed and real, as both Thomas and Abe are dealing with ghosts from their past, both real and metaphorical. And again, their relationship, while it doesn’t “heal” them per se, allows them both to reclaim parts of their selves that they had walled off to others. Several of the secondary characters are outstanding, including Townsend and Birdie, with both playing pivotal roles among several inventive twists in the book, including a great ending. Recommended for anyone looking for something a bit more unusual with a dash of paranormal and mystery.

I admire people who can write in the lingual flavor of a time period. This is San Francisco late 1920s, and a hard-nosed, war weary private investigator takes on a case that introduces him to all kinds of things he never knew were real. As usual, Fielding gives us damaged, compelling characters put into trying and sometimes scary situations, who are helplessly falling in love despite it all. This one is particularly interesting in light of a certain other Bureau character, so if you’re a fan, don’t miss it!

I’ve been a fan of the Bureau series and of course picked up this latest installment which is a prequel really. Took a bit of time to warm up to Abe ’cause I’m not a big fan of con artists. But I loved the story and especially the answer we got in regards to Herbert Townsend who heads the Bureau of Trans-Species Affairs in all the other books.

Kim Fieldings Bureau books just keep getting better and better! I hope this wont be the last one. She writes a great romantic mystery and creates a lot of empathy for her characters.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member