Last Voice You Hear

The Last Voice You Hear is the second book in the Oxford Investigations series by British author, Mick Herron. When Amory Grayling's PA dies under a train at Paddington Station on the way to work, he engages Oxford Investigations. He wants Zoë Boehm to locate Caroline Daniels's recently acquired boyfriend, Alan Talmadge, out of concern for his psychological well-being after this tragic loss. But Talmadge hasn't left a trace, and Zoë's enquiries set her foul-play radar twitching.

But Zoë's mind isn't entirely on her task. There are a few distractions: a lump in her breast; and the recent death of a boy she rudely dismissed three years earlier; not to mention the mental upheaval caused by her (justified) killing of an assailant, which seems to have left her devoid of feelings. Her investigative skills remain undiminished, however, and it seems her questions have upset some people. In this excellent sequel, Zoë gives away her TV, changes a lightbulb, is chatted up by a considerably younger man, hotwires a car, and loses her favourite black leather jacket. Ostriches play a significant role, there is vigilante action and a witness is murdered. A range of ordinary items is wielded to ward off assault and effect escape: a coin, a penknife, a car, and cookware, disregarding the multiple firearms used.

Not in her wildest imagination had Zoë ever seen herself pushing someone from a train, breaking into and stealing from a charity shop or robbing a homeless man at (pen)knifepoint. Nor would she have drawn Sarah Tucker and her man into the action if she'd had a choice.

This is a series best read in order as there are spoilers for the first book in this one. As always, Herron gives the reader red herrings, some guesswork that turns out to be close to the mark and not a few deaths. This second book has more of Herron's literary traits in evidence, and fans will doubtless eagerly anticipate the third in the series, Why We Die.