The Last Soul Among Wolves is the second book in Melissa Caruso’s Echo Archives trilogy. While the main plot provides a stand-alone story (or at least a complete one) there is so much character and lore established in the first book of this series – The Last Hour Between Worlds – that it is essential reading before diving into this one. And Caruso also builds on broader story arcs that will carry this series into its final volume.
The Last Soul Among Wolves once again centres around Kembral Thorne, a ‘Hound, that is an investigator who has the ability to move through the Echoes, alternate realities that sit beneath her world. Kembral is still recovering from the events of The Last Hour Between Worlds when she is asked by one of her old friends to help out with a new problem. It turns out that a group of Kembral’s old friends have been cursed and now, along with a few others, are in a race against the curse where only one can survive. Also in the mix is her almost girlfriend Rika Nonesuch who has been employed by one of the cursed to help out. Soon, both are embroiled in a mystery that could prove fatal.
As with the first book in this series, Caruso infuses this mystery with a sense of pace and danger. Almost from the first page people are dying and weird things are happening. And as always Kembral Thorne is in the middle of it, this time, to try and save her friends (and ultimately herself). This takes Kembral deep into the dangerous and crazy-weird echoes where the rules are different and she is now more vulnerable due to her success in the previous tale.
The Last Soul Among Wolves has fun with a few genres. While set in a magical world with its own rules, Caruso also manages to deliver a drawing-room murder mystery in among the mayhem of powerful echo-creatures, curses and a ticking clock. But she provides plenty of heart by centring the action on Kembra’s growing relationship with Rika and the way in which she reconnects with her old friends.
The Last Soul Among Wolves is another great entry in a fun, action packed and often weirdly Lovecraftian series. And while there is no cliffhanger per se, there is plenty on the line in the overarching stories for the final volume.
The Last Soul Among Wolves by Melissa Caruso
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