Near Enemy is a sequel to Shovel Ready, which I previously reviewed here.
When we rejoin Spademan he's on his way to kill a hopper, somebody who gets his thrills by spying on other people's fantasies in the limn. Only when he gets there he discovers that the target has witnessed something terrible while hopping: the person whom he was spying on appears to have been killed in the limn, and he's certain the man was killed in the real world through the limn as well, which should have been impossible. But as Spademan here's many variations on while he tries to discover who could kill somebody through the limn and how, there are no real impossibilities, only problems to be solved.
This series combines the best elements of the noir mystery and post apocalyptic fiction. It twists and turns and twists back against itself again, and although part of the solution to what happened is revealed relatively early midway through the book, there are plenty of surprises left ahead. Its primary flaw is that near the climax when perspectives are shifting between multiple locations fairly quickly, it's a bit difficult to keep track of where you are. And although the first book seemed as if it might have been able to remain a stand alone, it's clear at the end of this one that there's more Spademan coming. I'll be looking forward to it.
Overall: A-
Near Enemy will be available January 13.