The Stranger Times series is fast becoming one of my favourites. Book 4 was offered to me early by the publishers, via Netgalley, as I had championed the previous books. It certainly lived up to any expectations I had.

We are reunited with the usual Stranger Times team and some brilliantly crafted new characters. It opens with a student floating across the high rises of Manchester before plunging to his untimely death, setting the scene for a high adrenaline, often hilarious caper across some familiar (to me) Manchester scenery. I love Manchester, it is 20ish minutes on the train from my house, and the author has captured the Manchester vibe perfectly.

In Relight my Fire, we meet evil witches, celebrity zombies (oh my god, I really want to talk to someone about this part of the book) a ghoul and some grave-digging gnomes who craft the plot of the story whilst a Gene-Hunt like newspaper editor with zero social skills leads his intrepid team on a mission to solve the case. I half expected John Simm to make a cameo in a bright red Quattro (If you know, you know)

If you have read all the others in the series, you are going to love this and if you have not read any, I would highly recommend them. Laugh out loud supernatural japes in modern day Manchester. Perfect!

Thanks to Bantam Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars ++ Definitely the best yet.

I'll apologise for waxing lyrical from this point on. Okay, maybe not lyrical but overly enthusiastic at least.

The employees of The Stranger Times are thankfully back in the building and it's probably for the best that they stay there because it's getting even more weirdy outside - students are behaving oddly (yes even more strange than students usually do). The only problem is that someone is taking notice.

It starts with Stella nearly getting squashed by one. Thankfully Banecroft et al are tailing the teenager since her last near death experience. Unfortunately for Banecroft someone with a bigger grudge is tailing him. It's bound to end badly unless the staff start solving mysteries fast.

But how do you find out who has been messing with the newly deceased? Will Hannah and DI Sturgess ever get past the awkward stage? How does Hannah's teenage pop idol crush fit into this? Will the paper go out on time and will the crossword ever get better? But, most importantly, will Manny ever keep his trousers on?

I'm giving away nothing more of the plot than you'll read in the blurb because it's simply too insanely wonderful. CK McDonnell has truly outdone himself on this outing of the Times. Its funny, witty, clever, tightly plotted, reasonably disturbing and with a finish that has various extremely satisfying endings (you'll understand when you get there - I'll just say you may be surprised who you meet in this book).

I loved it. I've enjoyed the whole series so far but this is most assuredly the best yet. I laughed more. I stayed awake to finish it. I really did not want to put it down. Excellent.

Very highly recommended. Since I've read the first three I can't honestly say whether you could read this without the others. But why would you? Read them all. They're very funny.

Thankyou to Melissa Kelly at Random House for the advance review copy. I did a little dance when it landed.

This is easily one of my favourite recent sff series so I was delighted to be immersed back in this world again. The characters are great, The plots are intriguing and the narrative is witty. this is the best one so far too.

In early 2022, I came across The Stranger Times series by CK (Caimh) McDonnell and instantly fell in love with the sense of wit, likeable characters (well, for the most part, Vincent is complicated 😉) and unpredictable storylines.
'Relight My Fire' is the very welcome fourth addition to the series.
Set in Manchester, the world of our Stranger Times crew is one where ghosts, ghouls and goblins co-exist alongside a generally obviously public. The Stranger Times is a weekly newspaper that covers all manner of unusual and plain bonkers stories (dragons living beneath the city, royal family being aliens, ghosts haunting lap-dancing clubs etc).
And once again the city of Manchester is experiencing some strange shenanigans, aka "weirdy bollocks".
Now, this may seem a little bizarre but bizarre is the business of TST and frankly, the team are more than a little unusual themselves.
Our intrepid reporting team consists of:
Vincent Banecroft - drinker, expert insulter and in need of new socks
Hannah - editor and possibly the sanest of the group, though the competition sets a low bar
Grace - office manager, God fearing and a mammy figure
Reggie and Ox - the hilarious double act, who act as though they don't get along but have each others back
Stella - a source of unknown power and teenage sarcasm
Manny - possessed by an unknown entity, and not keen on clothes
This time around their leader Vincent Bancroft is in trouble - as he is challenged to discover who is behind a recent spate of thefts from local graveyards. If they fail, then deeply, hellish things will happen to Vincent. And meanwhile, someone is hunting down people with powers so our team have their work cut out.
With a series, there is always a fear that the latest installment will not match upto expectations but don't fear, CK McDonnell has once again created a dark, hilarious, fantasy, with witty asides targeting contemporary society and the characters that we have come to love. And yes, I'm including the irascible Banecroft in that statement.
With an utterly madcap storyline, it is easy to see why many have compared the series to Prachett's beloved Discworld and I can think of no higher praise.
From the opening page, you are swept along in the rollercoaster of laughter and mayhem and all I can say is "Book Five. Please"!

Thank you to the publishers for an unexpected but appreciated ARC of the newest instllment in The Stranger Times world.

C.K McDonnell has done it again! This series has become one of my favourite contemporary science-fiction / mystery worlds to lose myself in. Set firmly amongst the familiar Northern backdrop of Manchester, we join the gang for another baffling, hilarious and sometimes scary few days.

Vincent Banecroft is one of the most memorable characters you'll read about alongside the practical Hannah; god-fearing Grace; sarcastic and unsure Stella; the North's answer to a modern day double act in Reggie and Ox with some familiar and new faces thrown in.

I love how C.K. McDonnell manages to take typical horror tropes (vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and in this book, zombies) but put a clever, modern slant on them or as they're referred to in this book, "weirdy bollocks."

The pacing is quick, and the dialogue is even quicker - all books in this series manage to mix the serious with the absurd whilst making you literally laugh out loud. A must-read and highly recommended!

I was delighted to receive an ARC of 'Relight My Fire', the fourth book in 'The Stranger Times' series by C K McDonnell. Once again, I was spirited away into the contemporary setting of Manchester to join the wacky bunch - Grace and Hannah being my favourites - as they try to untangle the 'weirdy bollocks' that seem to be plaguing the city.

This book is very well written, drawing upon McDonnell's now expansive fiction-writing experience as well as the comic timing that he brought to the stage. The plot is thorough with good pace, the dialogue authentic and quick-witted. These stories are a great combination of fantasy, crime and mystery, but you'll be having such a good time reading them that you'll forget to pick up the clues as you go along and find yourself, at the end, simply having had a lovely time, safe in the knowledge that all of the threads have been neatly tied up - except the ones that Caimh leaves dangling to tease us until the next book is out.

Highly recommended!

So happy to heave read this latest instalment early! This is my favourite Stranger Times novel to date, it was just so so good! It has everything you need and more. The plot is brilliant and really builds on some crucial elements from the past 3 books, the introduction to a couple of new characters was a great way to mix things up, and i really feel this has brought everything together nicely to set up the future parts of the series. The normal gang are back and as brilliant as ever, they're funny, entertaining and as usual a joy to read. Definitely the best one yet and I can't wait for publication.