The Fuller Memorandum

May 31, 2010
Stross's third Laundry novel (after 2006's The Jennifer Morgue) continues to describe the Kafkaesque absurdity of government bureaucracies, but the tone turns dark when series hero Bob Howard accidentally kills a civilian during a routine exorcism. Bob soon discovers that there's a mole loose in the Laundry, the ultrasecret British intelligence service that deals with the implications of magic being a branch of pure mathematics. At issue is a memo by the Laundry's founder that relates to something called the Eater of Souls. The only person who knows anything about this is Bob's enigmatic boss, Angleton, but when he inexplicably vanishes, Bob and his wife and fellow agent, Maureen, are left on their own to stop CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN: the end of the world. The satisfying ending should appeal to fans of gory horror while making them question the definition of humanity.

The third installment in the Laundry Files, which spoofs spy thrillers, will be richer for having read the earlier books. Bob Howard is placed in an untenable position when his boss disappears and a top-secret file goes missing. Bob is an agent in a branch of the British intelligence service, the Laundry, which goes after magical threats: demons and the like. Gideon Emery is an engaging narrator who makes Howard a down-to-earth spy with moments of introspection and nonviolent tendencies. Emery's offhand manner keeps the narration light even when bad events happen. He rides with the tongue-in-cheek humor without overdoing it. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine