An Echo in the Sorrow by Hailey Turner

Narrated by Gary Furlong

Note: The Soulbound series features a number of overarching plotlines, so this book is unlikely to make much sense unless you’re familiar with at least some of the previous entries in the series. There are likely to be spoilers for those in this review.

Following their battle royale against a zombie army in Paris, An Echo in the Sorrow finds Patrick and Jono back in New York and facing danger much closer to home. There are two major plotlines running throughout the Soulbound series, one related to the growing tensions between the New York City god pack and the rival god pack led by Patrick and Jono, and the other to the ever-present threat posed by the Dominion Sect, a cult dedicated to destroying the veil between worlds and literally unleashing hell upon Earth.

An Echo in the Sorrow focuses on the first of those storylines as the corrupt New York City god pack led by Estelle Walker and Youssef Khan steps up its campaign to destroy Patrick and Jono and all the were-creature packs that have placed themselves under their protection. Estelle and Youssef don’t care what they have to do or who they have to kill in order to maintain control; Patrick and Jono suspect that they may have allowed demons into their souls, just as they discovered had happened in the London god pack, but even if they haven’t gone that far, they have certainly allied themselves with agents of evil, from the Krossed Knights, hunters of anything supernatural, to the Great Marquis of Hell – and possibly the Dominion Sect itself.

The attacks on Jono escalate – an ambush by demon-possessed hunters armed with aconite-dipped silver bullets, hell-bombs thrown at Tempest (the bar where Jono works in the building that acts as a kind of HQ for pack business) and a devastating assault on the subway by the Marquis of Hell and his demons… the city is unprepared for a civil war on this scale and Estelle and Youssef’s god pack is doing everything possible to make it look as though they’re the victims and paint Patrick and Jono as the bad guys.

Tensions in the city are running higher than ever, and Patrick and Jono realise that they can’t bide their time anymore and they have to strike back. But before they can advance their plans, they receive the news that Youssef Khan has been found dead – the murder weapon – the trishula of Shiva – still protruding from his chest. Just a few days before, Patrick had been assigned to investigate the theft of the trishula – a minor artefact – from the Met, and his boss assigns him the murder case. Patrick knows should recuse himself – his being co-leader of a rival pack creates a horrible conflict of interest – but he has deliberately kept the knowledge of his links with the supernatural community a secret from his boss at the SOA – and if he steps down, his being pack will become a matter of public record, and the anonymity he’s managed – to a degree – to maintain for the past two decades will be shattered.

Hailey Turner really knows how to turn the screws in her stories; you’ve just finished biting your nails down to the elbow while characters you’ve come to know and love are put through the wringer, and just when you think things can’t possibly get any worse – they do. And then some.

We hit the ground running in this one, and the dizzying pace doesn’t let up until the end. The phrase “never a dull moment” was never so true; it seems that not a chapter passes without our heroes having to face off against something monstrous, or getting yet more bad news; it had me breathless and on the edge of my seat, but I loved it, blowing through the audio in two or three sittings and having to really force myself to stop so I could get some sleep.

I expect the next book – the final one in the series – is going to bring the long-awaited mother-of-all confrontations between Patrick, Jono and their allies, and Ethan Greene and the Dominion Sect – but in no way is An Echo in the Sorrow a placeholder or filler. Ms. Turner keeps the action going and the excitement buzzing as she works to bring one of the series’ major conflicts to a close while at the same time keeping the emotional stakes high for her characters (and listeners). Jono and Patrick continue to grow as a couple and as individuals; they’re both ready to step up, lead and defend in a way they weren’t quite before, and Patrick is coming to terms with more of the painful aspects of his past. Through six books, the author has skilfully manoeuvred a very large cast through an incredibly complex panoply of storylines and created ambitious and detailed action scenes, but has never lost sight of the importance of character and relationship development. While the romantic elements of this story are described in the books’ synopses as a “subplot”, the honesty and depth of the love between Patrick and Jono that has so clearly become their mainstay permeates this novel and is an essential element of the overall story. These guys aren’t the demonstrative, hearts and flowers type – Patrick hasn’t even been able to bring himself to say The Words yet – but there’s no question they wouldn’t die for one another if they had to. (After what she did to Jamie and Kyle (In the Requiem) I’m kind of dreading what Ms. Turner is going to put Patrick and Jono through in the finale!)

Gary Furlong is a one-man cast of thousands. (Or at the very least a cast of… er… lots). He gives voice to demons, vampires, angels, witches, fae, werewolves, gods, a dragon – and a few humans, too, all of them distinct and a really good fit for the type of character, such as gravelly menace for the demons and deep booming tones for the angels. His portrayals of Patrick and Jono are, as I’ve said before, perfect; they’re such vibrant, well-rounded characters, and he captures all the different facets of their personalities incredibly well while also bringing out the depth of the emotional connection between them. The many recurring characters are performed consistently from book to book – I especially love his interpretation of Wade – and I continue to enjoy the way he conveys the warmth and camaraderie that exist so strongly among Patrick and Jono’s found family/pack.

An Echo in the Sorrow is a terrific penultimate instalment in what has been a consistently exciting and entertaining series. The conclusion to this particular part of the overarching plot is brilliantly executed; tense, emotional – even devastating – and I lapped it up, perched (metaphorically!) on the edge of my seat and happily ignoring whatever was going on around me. Gary Furlong delivers another impressive performance, proving once again that he’s one of the best narrators around. If you enjoy Urban Fantasy and haven’t tried this series yet, my advice would be to go back to the beginning with A Ferry of Bones and Gold; you’ve got time to catch up with Patrick, Jono and the gang before book seven – A Veiled and Hallowed Eve – comes out this October!

Caz

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