Quantum of Menace Review

The Q Mysteries is a new series by Vaseem Khan about Q from James Bond. Read my 4-star review of Quantum of Menace and join Q in his own crime mystery now that he is out of MI6...

Out: Now

After being 'relieved of duty' by MI6, Q returns to his quiet hometown of Wickstone-on-Water. His childhood friend, quantum computer scientist Peter Napier has died, by misadventure or suicide, the authorities say. Q receives a 'if you're reading this I'm dead' letter from the deceased weeks after he has passed but the police seem uninterested. So he decides to investigate it himself. Who had Napier's groundbreaking work attracted, and will Q uncover the truth in time?

Presenting a prologue that feels like a cold open, the prose is given the cinematic feel we desire for this story. The intrigue is brought in early. With a dry wit, more than a dash of sarcasm, a dog named Bastard, and a nod to a legendary character as a member of the household, Q is 'revelling' in his let's call it forced retirement. I love that he is referred to as Q in the book (making my James Bond loving heart happy), even though technically he isn't Q anymore. A fish out of water situation, since he isn't the one who usually investigates; he's the gadget guy. Though he uses his skills to his advantage, creating his own brand of inquiry and thrills. He is proper and persistent...

There is a matter-of-fact but simultaneously companionable tone to the narrative. Peppered with pinches of figurative speech, those bring forth intense and beyond vivid, truly unconventional images. These bring notes of antithesis to the character-enrichened, we-can-solve-the-mystery, oftentimes smile, even chuckle-worthy tale.

Different POVs, each with their own distinct voice, notes of snarkiness in most of them, frame the main POV. The changes between them are quite often, keeping us on our toes, sometimes even in the same chapter! Some are immediately clear about their place in the story; others make us wonder. I liked how we dipped into innermost thoughts. The tidbits of the characters' lives and surroundings, small but standout details in the descriptions, make them and their circumstances more alive, grounded in reality, engaging. All the story threads weaving and weaving...

The musings, history and activities of the supporting characters do get a little long-winded and I think, no I know, I needed more Q in a book about... Q. I love the dangling of prospective secrets like anyone, but not repeatedly. Some answers along the way, sooner, would have been nice. This is still a very clever foray, with jaw-dropping surprises, one of which I predicted, though I still enjoyed witnessing Q's attempts to get there. Puts a mirror up to society, to different views of it, to our relationships with others — philosophy of life. Philosophy of technology.

This is a puzzle-solving, detective-like crime mystery, a spy thriller without the spy you might be expecting, and that is a good thing. I really loved that an unanswered thing about Q was left that way, a promise for us to find out in future installments.

Does you know who show up? I can't tell you...