Thief, Private Investigator, Shadow Walker.
Enter the Noctis, a realm that runs parallel to our own, and exists only in the dark. Every shadow is a doorway, and only one man knows the way through.
Hiding in the shadows of Calgary, Lloyd Gibson, once a master thief turned low-key private investigator, treads cautiously. But when fire investigator Mireya Delgado pulls him into an enigmatic case, he's thrust into an eighty-year-old conspiracy with roots tangled deep in his past.
As Lloyd unravels the mystery, he enters a deadly game of cat and mouse, navigating a treacherous world of secret agents and shadowy organizations. With a fiery Supervillain looming on the horizon, armed only with his wits and a supernatural power, Lloyd must race against time to uncover the truth and extinguish the flames before it's too late.
"A new take on the PI genre, where the PI uses his unique superpower to take on a supervillain in an attempt to prevent murder and carnage. In Like Lloyd is a great launch for Matt Armstrong's Noctis Investigations series. It is well-written and presents an entertaining blend of mystery, action, magic, and romance. I will be looking forward to Book 2 and the continuing adventures of Noctis Investigations. If you are a fan of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, you may enjoy this, as well."
Lloyd is down on his luck. After a rough childhood, he accidentally discovered that he had superpowers and turned to a life of crime. He spends most of his adulthood stealing all around the world and living a life of luxury, but always alone. Then, one day, he robbed the wrong place and lost everything.
Now he lives in an empty warehouse, the last of his belongings that no one discovered, with his rat, and runs a small unofficial private detective agency. Only most of his work involves paranoid, rich old people.
That all changes the moment he gets a call from Mireya Delgado. She is a fire investigator who is at a loss to what has caused the latest fires. Evidence suggests that the fire couldn't come from natural sources, but her investigation was shut down from the above. She turns to the only PI who won't turn her down. Mainly because he desperately needs money.
In Like Lloyd is a paranormal mystery set in Calgary, a city in Canada. The main characters are funny, fleshed out and full of flaws, but you can't help but root for them both. They couldn't be more different. Lloyd is sloppy, sarcastic, and very funny but doesn't know when to shut up. Mireya, on the other hand, is very focused and organized and likes to plan things out. The only thing that bonds them is that they both have unexplained powers. They form an unlikely bond and a strong friendship by being forced to work together. Their differences make them stronger and help them work together better, not to mention that the banter between them is hilarious.
The world created is very interesting, revealed slowly as the characters discover more about it. It's a fast-paced story, full of humour, that will leave you at the end of your seat because you have to know what happens next.
I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good detective story with a whole lot of fantasy mixed in between.
General Thoughts on the Book:
In Like Lloyd is a fast-paced mystery that pulls you in from the start. The adorable but very flawed character of Lloyd can be clueless, with more negative than good qualities, but there is just something about him that makes you root for him. The mystery unravels slowly as the characters discover more about the world they live in and leave you wanting more. With each new revelation, more questions pop up. The story is very well written. The narrative and characters jump from the pages.
It's the story you can't help but read in one sitting, with an interesting, well-written mystery at its core, flawed characters that you can't help but like and a paranormal side that makes you want to know more.
Which line stood out from all the others in the book?
Darkness engulfed my senses, and the light at the end of the tunnel opened before me. I went into the light.
