Very Official Police Incident Report

Case: Snake City by Christian D. Read
Lark Case Files #4, Shooting Star Press

Date: May 2019

Reporting Officer: Kyla Lee Ward

A copy of this book was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Incident Type: Lark, a maverick sorcerer affiliated to the Library, faces his demons as all Egyptian hell breaks loose. Egyptian. All Christian Hell was Devil City.

Address of Occurrence: You may well live there.

Witnesses: Those that survive will never be the same. Crucially; Bettina, revenant cage fighter and Lark's bodyguard. Scarlett, his ex-girlfriend turned player in the Library hierachy. Jon, his one time partner turned...well, that's the question, ain't it? Bendis, Thracian goddess of the hunt.

Evidence

• Lions and snakes
• The shadow of Lark's hand
• A gris gris buried in a forgotten grave
• Canopic jars

Weapon / Object Used: Your own, innermost feelings. People you know and trust.

In his Statement, Lark admits he is a cantankerous bastard whose undead bodyguard has better interpersonal skills than he does. His return to the Library was prompted by the realisation that, a) by besting the hideously powerful Old Man in Black City, he made an even more powerful enemy, and b) that this may be the least of his, or anyone else's problems.

Expert witness Christian Read advises that magic works by symbol, sympathy and sacrifice. It can be researched and ritualised, but also improvised and hacked. No action is without consequences and, if civilians can't see the greater pattern in the thefts and murders, it doesn't mean they won't succumb to the wrath of Apophis. The form that gods may take, Read suggests, can be surprising. But many less apocalyptic problems still require a good smack down and maybe running over in a hearse.

It is worth noting that many people, even in his own occult organisation, consider Lark to be more trouble than he is worth, and indeed that he brings the the storm with him. His attitude towards conventional authority is even more extreme, and if Read's words is to be accepted, we may all be charmed.

But, if Lark is to be believed (NOTE. People who persist in disbelieving Lark do tend to end badly), the pace at which these events are happening, although , is of great concern and demands our utmost attention. The twists and turns of his investigation, through underground passages and abandoned asylums, are leading to a battle with no holds barred and no person off-limits, and his personal difficulties look set to overtake him at the worst possible time.

Lark's Statement is not a word too short or long. It will take an alert and lively mind, with an appreciation of historical and mythological reference, to comprehend just how detailed and ingenious Lark's Statement is, but any reader will be well-rewarded.

Recommendation for further action: Await Book 5 with baited breath.