Book Review — The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown

Luring me in with a kooky redhead in a bookshop is, once again, a sneaky lawyers trick that I'm ashamed to say worked again! Shame on me, etc. Magic is real, there are objects imbued with magic that allow the holder to conjure the unbelievable; the so-called Unknowable Objects. They have been hidden from the world for generations by a Society consisting of four unlikely people who meet biannually in a basement like a really naff bookclub or 12-step programme. Nothing has happened for years until, one day, they learn of the existence of a new object and must obtain it for their collection lest it fall into the wrong hands… Gareth Brown clearly has a style: a yen for bookshops; he runs a nice line in quirky, learned female protagonists who aren't your typical leading lady; and particularly nasty villains. That was evident in his debut, "The Book of Doors" (Review), and it's evident again in this follow-up novel, his self-proclaimed "difficult second book". I love the way he weaves…