This book is the second installment of a duology, and if you haven't already, I strongly advise you to read «The Watchmaker of Filigree Street» first. Not only could following the highly complex story in this volume be challenging, otherwise, but «The Watchmaker» is a wonderful, charming novel that is very much worth reading.

With that settled, let's talk about «Pepperharrow.» The story picks up five years after the end of the first book.

Thaniel Steepleton and Keita Mori, along with their adopted daughter, travel to Tokyo where they face a situation threatening in many ways. War with Russia shifts from a possibility to a probability, and the British embassy is haunted. Literally. Meanwhile, Mori's behavior is strange even by his unique standards, and Thaniel feels their relationship might be faltering. To distract himself, he delves into the task of uncovering what's behind the ghost sightings.

Mori is scared. Thaniel sees ghosts. Mori disappears. And for the rest of the book, *you* are haunted by the uneasy feeling that this volume might end in tragedy. …no, I won't tell you, just read it.

One twist follows another; the plot branches out in increasingly multi-layered subplots… Historical events, political intrigue, mystical happenings, and steampunk elements intertwine, but the wonderful writing style and dense atmosphere hold it all together, in my opinion. The narrative pace is slow, which is necessary so the story doesn't collapse under its own complexity; a profound tension gradually builds. As in «The Watchmaker,» the author draws her profound characters with a delicate hand; much is implied between the lines and requires careful reading.

I loved it. And if you, dear reader, appreciate complex narrative structures, original ideas, and a genre mix that's as rewarding as it is demanding, chances are high that you will love it too.