Changes

''Evil for Evil'' is the middle book of ''The Engineer'' trilogy. The middle book of any trilogy is traditionally the weakest. Its function is generally simply to be the bridge from the cause to the effect. If this true in the case of ''The Engineer... '' I must return to the beginning, and cannot wait for the end. It is a thoroughly compelling piece of work.

Should any book that is part of a series be read 'alone' was the subject of mid-read debate. As a reviewer I hold that if that is how it arrives, then it is valid to read and pass an opinion on that basis, if only for the sake of those of us who finish our book just as we learn the flight has been delayed another four hours and have to choose something else from the airport bookstall to keep us entertained. (Hint to bookstalls: when the next in the series comes along... shelve a few of the early episodes for those of us who prefer to start at the beginning!)