Best Served Cold

Springtime in Styria. And that means war.

There have been nineteen years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso is locked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, and between them they have bled the land white. While armies march, heads roll and cities burn, and behind the scenes bankers, priests and older, darker powers play a deadly game to choose who will be king.

War may be hell but for Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, the most feared and famous mercenary in Duke Orso's employ, it's a damn good way of making money too. Her victories have made her popular -- a shade too popular for her employer's taste. Betrayed, thrown down a mountain and left for dead, Murcatto's reward is a broken body and a burning hunger for vengeance. Whatever the cost, seven men must die.

Her allies include Styria's least reliable drunkard, Styria's most treacherous poisoner, a mass-murderer obsessed with numbers and a Northman who just wants to do the right thing. Her enemies number the better half of the nation. And that's all before the most dangerous man in the world is dispatched to hunt her down and finish the job Duke Orso started. . .

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672 pages

Average rating: 8

19 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

The Nerdy Narrative
Jul 19, 2024
8/10 stars
Even though I've gotten used to Abercrombie's writing and the endings he likes to get sideways with - I still find him to be quite unpredictable. I love it and I hate it, LOL!

I really, REALLY enjoyed the characters in this little standalone - in fact, I liked them just as much as the ones I loved from the First Law Trilogy. We did see a few of those trilogy characters in this one that made it fun.

Best Served Cold, as the title would suggest, is a revenge story. (I know that statement reads simply, but this story is anything BUT simple) The band of characters on the path of revenge don't like each other most of the time, accidents happen, morale is always in the gutter and the plots within plots within other plots are hilarious.

I love revenge stories, but this one could have done with a little pruning. I got a bit bored with it about 70% in. I also was a touch let down by the ending - I expected something different - so that's on me personally. Still looking forward to reading the other 2 standalones in this world!

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