Karen Diem’s fourth superhero novel, Monster, starts out with an international incident of city-sized proportions. When our three favorite heroes: Arca, Muse, and Wingspan show up to take care of business, they are immediately upstaged. Much like the opening segment to an Indiana Jones adventure, this episode serves to introduce the uninitiated to characters and the Arca world. Throw in some fast and furious action and you have a great opening.

Monster progresses in a different direction when main character Zita (aka Arca) continues her hunt for a madman threatening her family. When law enforcement proves to be useless, Zita takes matters into her own hands and goes out looking for the psychopath herself. Her search, in which her friend Muse takes an active role, leads her to a one-of-a-kind nightclub with some interesting people.

I’ve read the first three novels in this series and enjoyed them quite a bit. The stories have become progressively more fantastic, but Monster is a bit more restrained in scope and scale. This story introduces us to a new corner of Zita’s world through a character named Dmitri. This narrative is an interesting diversion from the usual capes-and-tights sequence a reader might expect from the Arca world.

Monster engages the reader with several fight scenes, sticking to the author’s successful formula of the first three novels. This novel is unique in defining a different class of preternatural people than superheroes. A winter setting also sets this narrative apart, providing a different perspective on setting. Another group of “caped crusaders,” actually more like mercenaries-for-hire, take a prominent part in this offering. These mercenaries are always welcome in these novels. While the plot meanders a bit, the key objective to hunt down and bring the psychopath to justice remains Zita’s driving motivation. As always, the book reads like an entertaining action-adventure graphic novel or movie.

This novel is heavy on the plot and less on character development. While Zita struggles with her proclivity toward one character in particular, the growth she experiences doesn’t seem like a major step forward for her. I certainly understood the underlying theme and wished more pages were added to document her struggle with her emotions. Contrast this with her relationship with one other mysterious character who has been in the series since book one. This interaction inched forward a bit more, and it opened up possibilities of where it could go next. More of this thread would be welcome.

Superhero fans and action-adventure readers both will enjoy Monster. The novel wraps up a plotline running since the first book that should satisfy long-time fans. Overall, fun and enjoyable, pick up Monster for a breezy, bitingly good time.

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QB9RH6H