Priest of Lies is the excellent sequel to the excellent Priest of Bones. We continue the story of Tomas Piety, priest, soldier, and gangster, and though Lies is the second of four novels in the series it doesn't fall victim to middle book syndrome at all. This book is full of action and plot development and is just as dark and gritty as the first.

Priest of Lies is just as well-written as the first novel, told in a blunt, no-nonsense tone that matches the character of Piety perfectly. My one complaint with the novel is the overuse of certain phrases - Every other page is littered with "I had to allow that" and "to my mind". These are deliberate stylistic choices by the author, and fit the frame of these being Piety's journals, but even so seeing the phrases repeated so often became a bit grating partway through.

This novel expects the setting out of Ellinburg, and we spend a good chunk of time in a different city, Dannsburg. This was a good move, as the city began to feel a little cramped and claustrophobic. Expanding the world was a natural evolution and I'm interested to see how the future novels move forward.

This is an excellent entry in the series, and Peter McLean has proven to be one of the top active grimdark authors. I'm definitely going to finish the series and will be on the lookout for future novels.