Heartless

Gail Carriger

Jul 2011 · The Parasol Protectorate Book 4 · Hachette Audio · Narrated by Emily Gray

About this audiobook

Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault in the fourth book of the NYT bestselling Parasol Protectorate series.

When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines, Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant.

Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?

Heartless is the fourth book of the Parasol Protectorate series: a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

Ratings and reviews

AudioBook Review: Stars: Overall 4 Narration: 4 Story: 3 Alexia is now about eight months along, and she and Conall are back to their ‘pre-his-freak out and despicable behavior’ moments in the last few months. And yes, while he’s ‘trying’ to make up for his missteps (badly) that’s not the primary focus of Alexia’s day. See, there’s a ghost who may or may not be connected to reality with a warning: someone is going to assassinate the Queen, and Alexia still has vampires looking to assassinate her and her unborn child, even as Akeldama is back and trying to keep them back. When you add in more information about Lyall’s past, and a curious sidetrack into Madame Lefoux and her woes, as well as more ‘shine time’ for Biffy in all of his heartbreaking and conflicted glory. The story here was slower to develop, and information we’d not before had did manage to add layers and interrupt the pacing that has come to define Alexia’s earlier behavior and actions didn’t take hold until about halfway on. Backstories and information fill out the why of much of the earlier action, and some of the quirks (particularly with Akeldama) dance around the foppish and centimeters left of annoying: although it is clear that he’s truly enjoying his association with Alexia, even as his ‘pet endearments’ border on ridiculous. But, that’s for another time: there are mysteries to solve and a soon-to-be infant to be protected. And the plot takes off in twelve directions: all of them clever (even those I don’t agree with) and most of them carrying the silliness and joy that I expect from this series and Carriger’s writing. From the questions about the Woolsey pack to the traitor in the Queen’s vicinity, there are few moments that don’t delight in ways that I’ve come to expect. Emily Gray brings Alexia to life with her portrayal, and allows a tinge of ‘just this side of put on” for Akeldema’s voice, you can almost feel him strutting about in brightly colored clothes, tailored to perfection. From the sorrow and confusion from Biffy, to the questions and decisions to be made about Alexia’s baby, each moment was given the time and respect it deserves as a part of this series and characters that have come to be so important to those of us who are following the series. Possibly the least engaging (at least early on) of the series for me, I still can’t wait to see the next in the series! I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Hachette Audio for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: al conclusions are my own responsibility.

About the author

New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger writes to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small town life and inadvertently acquired several degrees in Higher Learning. Ms. Carriger then traveled the historic cities of Europe, subsisting entirely on biscuits secreted in her handbag. She resides in the Colonies, surrounded by fantastic shoes, where she insists on tea imported from London.