The last time you saw geologist Keltyn SparrowHawk, she had taken action against her estranged mentor working under the orders of mega-industrialist Oscar Bailey. This final installment opens with Keltyn landing up in jail, with no money for a lawyer in her upcoming trial. She is facing multiple charges of espionage, treason, and the murder of her former mentor. The only person who might be able to help her is a long shot--Savant Wan Xiang in China. As the race in iridium exploration continues, Keltyn’s new undertaking will take her back to the Erebus region in Antarctica, which she is more than willing to venture into for the prestige and for the reunion with Efrain, Luz, and Joaquin. Most of all, it will give her the chance to stick it to Bailey and that toady Ganz.

Gifts of a Dark God: Erebus Tales Book 3 by Norman Westhoff consistently sustains a series that has the power to stir emotions and take you to exciting places. Norman Westhoff sets the mood of his story early, putting Keltyn behind bars as preparation in setting the stage for what is to become another thrilling adventure. As the plot centers on the conditions of a protagonist who is unwilling to give up going against a powerful and influential adversary, it’s fascinating. As readers, we tend to have that bias in favor of the underdog—we love them and we want them to succeed. Westhoff effectively capitalizes on this, and he knows how to put his protagonist in insurmountable predicaments. It gives you a great degree of empathy. What would you do to redeem your good name? What measures are you willing to undertake to achieve it? Gifts of a Dark God has the power to answer these questions that will stay in the back of your head long after you’re done reading.