The Ace of Clubs is the third book in the Red Dog Conspiracy and a very complicated novel for oh so many reasons. If you haven’t read the series, be aware there will be spoilers not for this book but for the ones previous to some degree so choose whether to read on with that awareness. When I first finished the book, I thought I didn’t like it, but while I’d like to have seen Jacqui take a more active role at times, it took a bit to realize my issue wasn’t with the book at all. The series is a futuristic steampunk, noir, crime family epic with all the Dickens elements I adore of privilege, underclasses, and society running at multiple levels often oblivious of each other to some extent. The characters are nuanced and complicated. They don’t always make the right choices (or sometimes ever) and seem a little too willing to sacrifice others in the name of themselves, but what’s key is they are true to their own character, consistent in their inconsistencies, and often enough infuriating in their decisions. The Ace of Clubs is very true to these parts, especially Jacqui’s lack of control over her life and the consequences her hidden rebellion enact on the lives of those around her. Sure, the main story focuses on the inquest into the destruction of the zeppelin, but it’s what the inquest brings into the open that forms the heart of the novel. This is a story of betrayals, both those known and unknown. It raises questions of duty when the target of that duty is innocent and not the one who forced Jacqui into the situation, but he is the one harmed should she reject her unwilling duty. Jacqui seems to realize how her choices harm those around her at times but then doesn’t change her behavior always, so there’s the hint at growth to come, but she’s not there yet. Still, some of her actions now incorporate this understanding, like when she tells Tony the truth about her investigations so no one else will suffer for her. She’s not a perfect person, nor would I want her to be, but I do appreciate the times when she looks beyond her own selfish needs. Her work with the inventor is in the same line. Yes, it would help her as well, but it helps all of them. Again, I selfishly wanted more of the story focused on the inventors, but that series thread does advance as well, equally as seeped in the clash of the different crime families. There is a lot of manipulation and double-speak throughout, clouding motivations and goals under a mist filled with violence. The history revealed in The Alcatraz Coup also has significance. Jacqui’s motivations cut to the core of why my first reaction was angst, again a symptom of strong characters that have engaged me to the extent of frustration because I don’t support what they are doing at this point. Basically, Jacqui’s main actions, as you might have suspected from The Queen of Diamonds, involve her childhood love Joe. Whether it’s because I see Tony as an innocent (in a manner of speaking), or because I’m right, I don’t trust Joe. I find him disruptive, and his timing is all too suspicious. The risks he encourages Jacqui to take knowing the nature of her father-in-law’s interest are not those driven by a definition of love I appreciate. That said, neither Joe nor Jacqui act in an unbelievable way, just not how I would wish them to. It’s odd for someone so mixed up in conniving as Jacqui is to be so trusting, but she does trust Joe, and on too slim a history to my mind. It makes her less honest, even with herself, and harsher than the intrepid investigator we first met in Jacq of Spades, but that doesn’t mean the development is unwarranted. Ultimately, Ace of Clubs is true to the series. It focuses on some of my least favorite parts so far, but considering the amount of thought and attention the story drew from me, it’s the characters I’m frustrated with rather than the story. I’m still looking forward to seeing how the pieces come together. What happens with Joe may be a deciding factor in my following through the whole series (an odd comment once you’ve read the book, but I have my reasons), but for the time being, I’m still sucked in and would feel the pain of threads left untied should I stop now.

5 Stars Intriguing and probably my favorite! Loofbourrow pens an intriguing and magnificent story in The Ace of Clubs, book three of the Red Dog Conspiracy series. This author has a great imagination and I'm glad it's being shared with stories. I enjoyed the first two parts of this, but I think this is my favorite of all of them. I love Jaqui, and her secrets that weren't just her own, are about to be exposed, and then the story takes it from there. It's character-driven and written with passion. It's very unpredictable, and it was a hard book to put down. This author is not just a writer but a great storyteller. The author's technique of raw, magnetic characters and great plotlines is a gift. It's a great story to follow and try to figure out what will happen next. This read is more than just words on a page. The Ace of Clubs is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I look forward to reading many more stories by this author.

After the colossal explosion of a zeppelin that killed her friend, an aristocrat who was allegedly defrauding prominent merchants in Bridges in concert with Frank Pagliacci, Jacqui is taken away to recover and grieve by her husband, Tony Spadros. Meanwhile, the Clubb Family, who own and control the Zeppelin depot, convene a coroner’s inquest to demand answers for the blast. Jacqui, who was never supposed to be at the zeppelin depot, is identified by witnesses and the Clubb Family inquisition is maliciously designed to focus squarely on her and the Spadros family. Jacqui never understood why Roy Spadros forced her at gunpoint to marry his son, Tony five years before. Now, she doesn’t understand why Tony, who swears he has “split” with Roy Spadros and loves her exclusively has her watched everywhere she goes. She knows it is not for her protection as Tony claims. However, the entangled web is woven ever tighter as she discovers that even her most trusted servants are spies…and not for Tony. But, then Tony has a secret; one he refuses to share with Jacqui. Jacqui and Joseph Kerr have a secret too; one neither Tony nor Roy can know about. She watches helplessly as Tony discovers her secrets one by one and ruins more of her friends. Without resources and bound between powerful men, she feels her only recourse is to run. Will she run into the arms of love, or into the arms of further manipulation and treachery? The Ace of Clubs escapes the endless maze of awkward social networking that plagued The Queen of Diamonds. Somehow, there is more at stake; more intrigue, more actually happening in The Ace of Clubs. There is much less focus on the characters and their backgrounds and much more focus on what they actually do and their motives for doing it. This is not to say the reader’s questions are all answered; far from it. But, readers can see more actions and consequences and there are intriguing mysteries brought into play, for example; who knew Tony had a brother? And what really happened to him? Readers are also allowed into Tony’s secret. Most probably suspected something like it from past books, but now we know. In my opinion, The Ace of Clubs is a better book than its predecessors. The Red Dog Conspiracy gets a bit deeper with each book as does the social pit in which Jacqui finds herself. Overall, this is an excellent read for action, conspiracy, steam-punk and mystery buffs of all ages.