Tombyards & Butterflies, what do you think of when you hear those two words? For me, I can’t put these two objects together. I can’t picture something as beautiful as a butterfly swarming over a tombyard, not that it’s actually a thing. But that’s besides the point. I’m here to talk about the book Tombyards & Butterflies, A Montague and Strong Detective Agency Novel. Honestly, I don’t remember what possessed me to pick the book up. The author is not one of my regulars, and when I re-read the summary, I’m not sucked into the world. But I’m glad that I pulled the trigger and bought this book.
The story starts with the main characters Simon Strong and Tristan Montague, chasing a werewolf. And the action never slows down. The two detectives are quickly swept up into a dangerous game between a mysterious antagonist (at least for a little while) and just as mysterious allies. Orlando Sanchez did a fantastic job of sucking me not only into the story but into the characters as well. I quickly found myself hoping this partnership will thrive and continue.
The only nitpick that I have with the book is Simon’s immortality. It’s mentioned early on and often throughout the book. And the author came up with some creative ways to scope or limit the benefit of immortality, but it felt like an afterthought to the story. And while there are tense moments in the book, I never felt that Simon was in any real danger, despite lines like
SOSS? What’s SOSS?
Sudden onset supernatural stupidity. New vampires think that because they’ve become immortal, they can’t die.
The line is excellent and delivered perfectly, but this can be a significant negative long term without the correct management.
Overall I enjoyed the book, and it’ll be interesting to see how Orlando Sanchez manages Simon’s immortality in future installments, like Full Moon Howl.
