Daniel Humphreys's Toil And Trouble (Paxton Locke Book 7)

A Book Review

Okay, so once upon a time there was a guy and his name was Paxton Locke. He had been through a lot but he kept on trucking. He had, after all, a little bit of pluck and a shotgun. Or was that an attitude problem and an ice lance? I get those confused sometimes. Anyway, Paxton started out banishing ghosts and ended up fighting some really bad stuff. And “stuff” is indeed the correct term, since most of what he fought wasn’t exactly human, or even a reasonable facsimile thereof. But Paxton, being Locke, would not stop fighting and now here he is in his latest novel (written by Daniel Humphreys) Toil and Trouble (Paxton Locke Book 7).

Locke has been captured/tested/incarcerated by a group that promotes magic and the survivor of magic users, but they’re not always friendly. Rivalries, in fact, can get very messy very quickly. Disciplus Locke finds himself a bit perplexed by the place he’s stuck in but he makes his way through things. And that’s before it really gets ugly.

While Locke is the guy with all the magic tricks that actually work, his buddy Valentine is more of the old school, blood, guts, bullets, and bombs type. I like Valentine because I like ‘splodey bits and there doesn’t seem to be a whole that Valentine can’t blow up. And believe me, some of the stuff he takes out is not easy to take out. Of course, he’s the guy with the friends who do things like fly air support and fire artillery. I like this guy on a personal level, but I also like this ability to bring the pain.

Of course, no Paxton Locke novel is complete without that feeling, remembered by all Firefly fans, that everything was going badly but it just got worse. Seriously, everything seems to go wrong in this dude’s life every time. By book 7, it’s not exactly a surprise anymore. In fact, I was relieved and excited when I realized that things were worse than they looked. Humphreys always seems to be at his best when his characters are hating life. He’s a little devious that way. That’s okay though. It’s entertaining.

And part of the entertainment factor in Toil and Trouble is the resourcefulness and willingness to help of our main character. Locke may not have the first freaking clue about how to stay out of trouble, but he excels at helping others get through their problems. That may be because he’s had to get through so many of his own, but it works. Locke is a good guy not just because he’s supposed to be but because he cares. I like this dude.

There is, of course, a much bigger supporting cast than just Valentine who, admittedly, has his own thing going on separate from Locke. I don’t want to give up too much here though. I mean, I’m not saying that it would spoil the book if I started listing names. I’m just saying there’s a reason you don’t leave dead fish outside in the hundred degree heat. And now all of the supporting cast is, strictly speaking, supportive. There are a few of these guys that are kind of suspicious and at least one who is helpful but I just want to punch in the teeth.

Part of what I like about Humphreys’s work is that he doesn’t do the Jim Butcher thing where everything is basically a new take on and old concept. Faerie courts, vampire covens, etc. are powerful tropes but they’re used for a reason. Humphreys does use some of the tropes (Toil and Trouble starts out in a magic school) but he doesn’t rely as heavily on them and that leads to a fresher and more entertaining story. Not relying on the tropes gives Humphreys a freedom to do whatever he wants where an enemy with a well known mythos is expected to act a certain way. I like not knowing what’s coming next.

It also makes Humphreys able to adapt his story to what it needs instantly. There is a part of Toil and Trouble that takes place in a new setting. I won’t go further than that. Humphreys did an outstanding job of building that little world given the amount of space it occupied in the book. It was immersive, well thought out and easy to follow. Suspending disbelief in that moment was easy, because it felt natural. The characters related to each other well. Their predicament made sense. The enemy was something that Locke had faced before. It flowed together perfectly.

Locke has come an awful long way in this series. He started off as just a guy who banished ghosts and had a reeeeeeeally jacked up childhood. Now he’s known for the strength of his magical gift and his derring-do. I love this guy. That much having been said, I would not start the series with Toil and Trouble. Paxton Locke is a series best read from the beginning because there is layer upon layer of things going on and in order to get it all, you have to read what came before. This is not a bad thing. The whole series rocks hard. Trust me. You want to start at the beginning. It’s worth your time. You’ll thank me.

Rumor has it that there is a sequel coming, of sorts. Apparently, Locke is taking the next one off and it’ll be an all Valentine show. This kind of makes me sad because, although I do love the thought of reading more about Valentine, it’s been Paxton Locke that has carried the Paxton Locke series. I’m gonna miss the guy. Reading a series that you’ve been following for a long time, and I have been following Paxton for literally years, is like having an old friend over for coffee. You get a chance to catch up and find out how they’ve been and what they’ve been up to since the last book, however briefly. Next time it’ll be just Valentine without our friend Paxton. I suppose I’ll get over it. I’ll read the book. I’ll probably just stick my tongue out at Humphreys if I ever meet him.

Bottom Line: 5.0 out of 5 Hooked Knives

Toil and Trouble (Paxton Locke Book 7)
Daniel Humphreys
DJTC Media, 2024