Book Review: The Kensei (Lawson the Fixer #5) by Jon F. Merz
The Kensei (Lawson the Fixer, #5) by Jon F. Merz. © 2011 St. Martin’s Griffin. ISBN 9780312662233. Trade Paperback. Urban Fantasy. 416 pages. Source: ARC provided by author.
Synopsis: Meet Lawson. A cynical, wise-cracking vampire charged with protecting the Balance between vampires and humans, he is part cop, part spy, and part commando — James Bond with fangs. Lawson mixes shrewd cunning with unmatched lethality to get his job done. He tries his best to dismantle conspiracies, dispatch bad guys, and live long enough to get home.
Review: Lawson is burned out, and a trip to Japan seems like the perfect holiday. That’s just wishful thinking of course because not long after he arrives his ex-girlfriend–an assassin–pulls him back into the game. Organs are being trafficked and it’s up to Lawson to put an end to it. The Kensei was a great book, and the only thing that really brought it down for me was that Merz hardly ever brings attention to the fact that Lawson is a vampire. It’s touched on a couple times (in regards to eating and such), but that’s really it.
Aside from that, he is basically human so that sort of bothered me since I like heavy fantasy/paranormal elements in my urban fantasies. But other than that, this is a great book with amazing action scenes, plot twists and great attention given to Japanese culture and the martial arts. The Kensei can be read outside of the other Lawson books with no confusion and will definitely speak to fans of Jason Bourne (that is if you don’t mind a little vampire in your espionage). 3/5.
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