Ha'penny (Small Change)

Walton calls her series "Still Life with Fascists", and, yeah.

Not a whodunit, as in [b:Farthing|183740|Farthing (Small Change, #1)|Jo Walton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442714837s/183740.jpg|1884104], but a 'will the British Detective Inspector and his competent-but-no-genius sidekick prevent the murder?'. I prefer the former for my British detectives.

And yet, in our current political clime, probably quite triggering (oh ho what a pun, she says of the bomb-plot novel).

i liked this book even more than Farthing, it is a worthy sequel. Poor Inspector Carmichael breaks my heart, and Jo Walton tells a well-crafted story about the dangers of fascism. This close after the recent European elections, the book was a depressing read at times, and proved difficult for me to finish. I look forward to the final book in the series, but I need to take some time out with lighter fare before I'll be able to stomach it.

I really like the mixing of genres in this series. I also like how you know it's not going to end well, but Walton manages to end it poorly in a way that surprises you.