I will stand by RJ Barker forever and ever! Thank you very much for the eARC!

A murder mystery in an incredible world, with turns and twists aplenty! To be fair, I would have read ANYTHING that Barker graces us by writing, but the great world building and scenery, intricate language, and fantastic plot are a bonus!

One is not too miss such storytelling!

Mortedant Peril by RJ Barker weaves a deft tale of mystery and corruption, set in a strangely wondrous world, where three unlikely heroes band together to unravel a dark plot before it’s too late.

Irody Hasp, as a Mortedant, can see and read a deceased last thoughts and moments before their death. This is a thankless and lowly paid job but Hasp takes his abilities seriously and is highly skilled among his peers. Yet when Hasp is accused of murder he faces execution unless he can prove his innocence. Who is framing him and worse still who is trying to kill him too?

It was so refreshing to have such an obviously prejudiced and flawed character like Hasp and still find him likeable and endearing. Hasp isn’t cruel nor mean spirited but he does look down upon those of lower status and non human races. His talents as a Mortedant are under appreciated and he’s always given the jobs that no one else will take all because of some past discrepancy involving his family. Essentially he is ridiculed by his peers and he himself is looked down upon. Yet Hasp’s growth is phenomenally crafted. Barker gives a subtle gradual change to his character, his views of others alter as he learns more about them and as his knowledge and experiences broaden. He begins to treat those closest to him with more respect and by the end he even puts others before himself, which was something he would never have done at the beginning of the novel. This makes him a sympathetic character to root for.

Barker gives us some fantastic side characters too with Whisper, an Oster guard and Mirial, a street urchin. What I loved about Whisper’s non human race was that they seemed quite spiritual and in tune with the sea and nature. Her native language was quite melodic and had such beautiful meaning behind it. Despite everybody’s trepidation of her, she could see the good in people and readily gave them her loyalty and that’s what I loved most about Whisper. Mirial had the capability of being an overly defiant immature street urchin, but Barker shapes her much more clever than that, he makes her perceptive and strong willed but also eager to learn. Together they all formed such a fantastic friendship. 

Of course Barker immerses us into such a fascinating world. The tiered city of Elbay is divided into rings with the lower ones being for the poor and the highest being for the rich. Further divisions are included as there are sectors for the Worshippers who follow the creed of the Howling Lord, the Spurriers who bring spiritform to life and the Mortedants. Barker’s prose vividly brings this city to life with all its oddities and wonder. Every nugget of information built up the world fantastically. It’s not a city I’d ever want to live in, but it was one I enjoyed reading about!

Barker’s signature inventive style and his heartfelt storytelling really shines in this novel. I absolutely loved it and cannot wait to discover what’s in store in future installments.

I really enjoyed this. Barker says in the acknowledgements that he had a lot of fun writing it and I think, as with the Mal and Jackie books, you can really tell. His Big Serious Fantasy Novels are great but they're not 'fun' exactly. (Indeed I found the final Wyrd Wood book exhausting, and certainly no one's ever having a laugh.)

As ever his world-building is exemplary and I loved finding out about the city of Elbay. Irody, Mirial and Whisper are all great characters and Irody's awkward efforts to solve a mystery that gets unexectedly larger and more dangerous at every turn whilst finding himself obliged to get on with people, ugh, was a pacy and entertaining read. I look forward to the next one.

A story that reaches out and pulls you into its pages, and doesn't let go til the last page. A Mortedant can speak to the dead and discover its last messages for the living,. Irody Hasp, a mortedant who isn't in the best of books with his bosses, finds himself in the middle of a massive political intrigue and multiple murder case (including several attempts on his own life) all because he read the soul of a man who died eating berries. Along the way he picks up a new apprentice with links to the underground criminal gangs, a hulking guard who turns out to be an outlawed princess of the sea people and, unfortunately for Irody, he finds in himself an inconvenient desire to do the right thing regardless of the consequences. I loved every page of this story and wish there were more adventures to read!

Irody Hasp, a Mortedant who hears the last words of the dead, finds himself caught in a sinister murder plot after reading the secrets of a deceased record-keeper. With danger around every corner and trust in short supply, he teams up with Mirial, a street urchin, and Whisper, a sea-folk mercenary to unravel the mystery. But time is running out as Irody fights to save himself, his friends, and the city of Elbay from an encroaching darkness…

This was my first time reading an RJ Barker novel - and it didn’t disappoint! The characters, setting, and plot were all brilliant. I was completely swept away on an epic adventure that takes you from the dusty streets of Elbay to the wild lands beyond, and down into the industrial tunnels of the Citycore.

The characters are loveable, with some excellent villains thrown into the mix. It’s an easy read, not too heavy, but with just the right amount of complexity to keep things interesting. The plot kept me guessing right up until the end, and it sets things up nicely for more of Irody’s adventures to come.

A perfect mix of fantasy and mystery - I can absolutely see why it’s recommended for fans of The Shadow of the Leviathans series!

With thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC.

Well now, this is exciting. A new book by RJ Barker is always a lovely, slightly odd thing. But in a delightful way. And Mortedant’s Peril (The Trials of Irody Hasp #1) is quite the most delightfully weird book.

We follow the adventures of Irody Hasp, a Mortedant. He can read the last thoughts of the deceased. But then his apprentice is murdered, he gets the blame, and has four days to identify the real culprit or face the gallows. So far, so murder mystery – who actually killed Malkin? Why do they want Irody to swing for it?

Conspiracies abound as Mortedant Hasp has to delve through the layered tiers of the city (an utterly lovely piece of worldbuilding, ruled by the goat satyr Niofa), accompanied by his new neophyte (and Malkin’s sister) Mirial and Whisper, an ‘unhuman’ Oster sea person tasked with guarding him until his execution day.

It’s a beautiful, strange world that RJ Barker has created, and I’ve been savouring it over the past couple of weeks rather than doing my usual of just inhaling the book in a couple of sittings. Some books just want you to take your time with them, to soak in the atmosphere, to feel the cobbles on the streets and listen to the shouts of the low-tier folk as they go about their day, pausing to see the harried Irody Hasp rush past, black Mortedant robes billowing behind him as he struggles to save himself from the hangman’s noose.

I loved every bit of it. If you’ve read any of RJ’s books before, you’ll no doubt already have this on your lists. If not, get your favourite pencil out and write down the words “MORTEDANT’S PERIL – BUY A COPY IN MAY” in your very best handwriting, and stick it to your fridge.

Hugely recommended. All the stars.

Mortedant’s Peril by RJ Barker is published by Tor Books in May 2026. Huge thanks to the publisher for an ebook copy of the book to review.