This one hits hard from the start. The Stepping Skeleton takes the story deeper into London’s criminal chaos, where old ghosts refuse to stay buried and loyalty’s a dangerous gamble. The pace is relentless, the atmosphere thick with tension, and you can feel the walls closing in on everyone involved. Palmer’s writing feels sharper here — tighter, leaner, more confident. There’s a real sense of consequences catching up, and the mix of violence, regret and survival gives the story a raw edge. Gritty, punchy and full of uneasy energy, it’s a cracking next step in the series.