Martin George. Wild Cards 7. Dead Man's Hand

Leelas's review:
This volume represents the first irregularity in the Wild Cards series' triad format. Ostensibly, it's the final volume in the Puppetman triad. However, Puppetman plays only a very minor, indirect role in the plot of Dead Man's Hand, with other baddies taking center stage instead. It takes place over the same period of time as Ace in the Hole, but is set in New York rather than Atlanta (although the story moves to Atlanta for the climax). It's similar to GRRM's later splitting of A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons, except it works better, and one gets the distinct impression that both of these stories were dramatically improved by being placed in separate volumes.There are two PoV characters in this volume, Popinjay and Yeoman, both of whom are investigating the death of a mutual friend, whose passing was hinted at in the previous volume. The usual suspects are all investigated, including Puppetman, the Shadow Fists, and Ti Malice, before the killer is revealed in a very jarring conclusion. Popinjay and Yeoman both have very different, sharply conflicting ideas regarding morality and justice, and, although they share a common goal, are quite antagonistic to one another for the majority of the story.There are problems with this book, the worse being that a beloved character, who was one of the most empowered jokers in the series, is brutally fridged in order to set the plot in motion. In addition, the separation of the two halves of the story feels awkward at times, particularly in the second half, after Jay makes the trip to Atlanta, and we are forced to read through many scenes that we have already read in the previous volume, from Jay's point of view. Sometimes this works, and Jay's perspective adds new dimensions to the scene (the scene following the revelation of Puppetman's identity is easily the most powerful of these moments). Other times it makes you want to skim ahead.John J. Miller's characters tend to be somewhat stuffy and inconsistently written, and oftentimes come across as rude and unlikeable. His best character was killed at the start of this volume, and we're left with Yeoman (who goes full-on asshole on us in the final scene), and Wraith (who somehow always becomes a damsel in distress, even though she has ace powers and her boyfriend doesn't). Fortunately, Yeoman's storyline contrasts very well to the sarcasm and levity of Popinjay, and, unlike in certain previous volumes (most notably the time when he was very inappropriately given the task of singlehandedly defeating the Swarm), his passages never drag.Overall, this is a very satisfying book, and the closest that the Wild Cards series has come to getting a 5 star review from me. Along with book 6, this represents a peak in quality for Wild Cards. We'll see how it goes from here.