DIVISIBLE MAN: TWELFTH KNIGHT

In Seaborne’s novel, an air charter pilot with supernatural powers joins forces with his detective wife to solve a brutal murder and unravel a massive government conspiracy in the process.

Air charter pilot Will Stewart is back for the 12th installment of the author’s Divisible Man series—and this time, he and his detective wife, Andy, must rescue one of their own. Will’s colleague Pidge is in danger when an “amateur internet detective” threatens to expose Pidge’s identity as the mysterious blonde who disrupted a Nazi rally in Lincoln, Nebraska. Company W, a paramilitary insurgency group that specializes in all things racist, is willing to literally kill for that information—and it seems that they have done so when a young woman named Tiffany Vera Callum, mistakenly identified as the Nazi rally disruptor, is found dead, having been burned alive. As rumors swirl about the motivation behind Tiffany’s murder (as well as her sexual orientation, gender identity, and propensity for witchcraft), Will and Andy attempt to hunt down the presumed killers. Along the way, they stumble across clues to a conspiracy so big that it threatens the lives and livelihoods of everyone in America. Now, the race is on to warn the president about the backdoor dealings that may or may not involve some of his closest advisors—but Will and Andy can’t be sure who to trust, or how high up the chain of command the deadly plot really goes. Helping them along the way, as usual, is the use of Will’s extraordinary secret powers—namely, his abilities to fly and turn invisible: “This thing—what I call the other thing—allows me to disappear. It defies gravity. It cures where there is no cure. It saved me. It may kill me.”

With a smooth narrative style and snappy dialogue, Seaborne keeps the plot moving without ever getting bogged down in procedural details. He also manages to show a vulnerability in Will that makes the action-fueled character surprisingly relatable—still traumatized by a past shooting, Will realizes there’s even more at stake now that Andy’s pregnant: “I’ve grown paranoid and prejudiced. Since the brave American patriots of Company W shot my house to pieces, parts of the country I once relished for rural flavor and the wholesome lifestyle I grew up in now feel to me like havens for men whose beliefs had been pretzel twisted until they justified opening fire on the home of a law enforcement officer.” Readers will likely draw some pretty obvious (and depressing) parallels between the book’s conspiracy plot and modern politics, which make this series entry feel all the more relevant. There are sure to be readers who wish that Will was just a normal protagonist without any superpowers—following him invisibly floating around a hotel room to retrieve a bank password can be a bit jarring. It is a testament to Seaborne’s prowess as a writer that Will’s paranormal abilities exist seamlessly (for the most part) right alongside the hyper-realistic, grounded action plot that swirls around him. While the novel functions much more solidly as an action thriller than a superhero story, the two genres coexist comfortably, ultimately coming together to form a tale that’s equal parts heartfelt and intriguing.

Another slickly-plotted, adrenaline-fueled installment showcasing a superior police procedural with a twist.