When I saw this cover on Netgalley, I just had to get it. I loved the imagery of all that black hair becoming rain on the city, the darkness all around with just the one ray of light from the helicopter. Okay, putting that into words, it sounds cheesy, but the cover just worked for me. When I saw that the story was about a female crime fighter, I just had to read it.
Verity Fortune has been locked up for weeks being tortured in an asylum. She finally manages to break away from her captors and escape into the night. Only to find out that what she thought was weeks, was actually months. Nothing is as she left it. It feels like the entire world has flipped upside down on her. Her father is dead, her sister is advocating a "non violent" solution and running for mayor, and the rest of her family seems to be just going along with the idea. Verity is left with a burning desire for revenge and leaves to seek it on her own. But the more she uncovers, the more questions she is left with. She has to figure out who locked her up, and what were they trying to cover up, before she is shut up... for good.
This is not a standard superhero novel. It's a darkly themed criminal mystery, where even when you think you know who is who and what is what, you are sure to be wrong. I rarely make status updates on Goodreads while I read a book, but this one deserved the commentary. I was just so shocked that I couldn't quite keep a handle on what was going to happen next. If this had been a movie, I would have been hitting stop and rewind and yelling at the screen. It was full of both dramatic revelations and full bore action sequences. This book's tone was very reminiscent of The Dark Knight with Heath Ledger, full of cunning misdirection and unpredictable characters. And the ending! Oh boy the ending. I can't believe this is a stand-alone book. I want more! Worth every one of the 5 stars I gave it.