Still reeling from the events of The Raptor and the Wren, Miriam must confront two terrifying discoveries: the Trespasser now has the power to inhabit the living as well as the dead, and Miriam is pregnant.

Miriam knows her baby is fated to die, but Miriam is the Fatebreaker. And if the rules have changed for her nemesis, her own powers are changing as well. Miriam will do whatever it takes to break her curse and save her child. But as Miriam once again finds herself on the hunt for a serial killer and in need of an elusive physic, she can feel the threads of her past coming together—and the pattern they’re forming is deadly.

To end the Trespasser’s influence in her world, Miriam must face her demon a final time. And, this time, one of them must die.

Ah, ok. Yes. This is fine. I’m fine. Here we have Vultures, the sixth and *checks notes* final…final book in the *sniff* Miriam Black series *sobs quietly* by Chuck Wendig.

Goddamn. What a fucking ride it was, though!

OH, THIS IS WHERE I STRONGLY RECOMMEND NOT READING THIS REVIEW UNLESS YOU HAVE READ THESE BOOKS THROUGH TO THE RAPTOR & THE WREN. LAST CHANCE TO BAIL OUT.

My first time reading anything Chuck Wendig wrote was a little listicle thing he did for Star Wars Insider magazine. This was part of the buildup to The Force Awakens, and prior to the release of Wendig’s first Star Wars novel, Aftermath. And I just immediately fell in love with his humor & writing style. So, whether he’s writing an AMAZING Star Wars trilogy, reviewing apples on Twitter, trolling Myke Cole, or dragging the fuck out of our deranged “President”, I’m just a huge fan of his writing.

And then of course there’s the Miriam Black series. Blackbirds would have been the second Chuck Wendig book I read after Aftermath. And I was fucking hooked, right away. The book read so damn fast..there’s an urgency to Wendig’s style. And Miriam was this broken & angry character, possessed of a strange ability to see how people would die just by touching their skin. She was foul-mouthed & drank too much & smoked too much & didn’t give nearly enough fucks.

And in a way, that’s what this whole series has been about. About Miriam finding a few fucks to give. And it’s a long & painful process for her.

Vultures picks up after the events of The Raptor & the Wren, and so Miriam is, of all things…pregnant. Which of course she’s handling with all the grace you might expect.

No. No, she’s really not. She’s angry. More than angry, she’s scared. She knows the fate of the baby, and is hell-bent on changing it. But The Trespasser has significantly upped its game, threatening not just Miriam, but anyone she comes into contact with.

The book bounces between timelines (early in the pregnancy & much later in the pregnancy) & locations, mostly Florida & Los Angeles, where Miriam attempts to hold a rather interesting job for a little while. Through it all, Gabby is by Miriam’s side, and their relationship is beautifully explored in Vultures. And as always, Miriam’s scathing sense of humor is very much intact.

I don’t want to give too much more away. Miriam & Gabby meet some incredibly colorful characters along the way, and of course Miriam gets herself into some incredibly fucked up & VERY dangerous situations. Like….very, very, very dangerous.

I think this is an utterly perfect ending to this series. The character growth Miriam shows across all six books is just so fucking real, and Wendig closes things out in a way that is tremendously satisfying.

This series has meant so fucking much to me. I’m sad these books are over. But I’m so glad to have known Miriam Black for a time.

A MASSIVE thank you to Saga Press for sending me a copy! Vultures releases on January 22nd!!