While I got tired of Mann’s Ghost series with a steampunk superhero, his Newbury and Hobbes series of steampunk detectives is still going strong with the latest episode The Immorality Engine. The title is a play on words with an engine being used immoral purposes that could also be used for immortality. And we get some nice development in the relationships between Newbury, Hobbes and Bainbridge. So let’s see what happens in this latest book.

Veronica Hobbes is worries because her detective partner, Maurice Hobbes, is missing and she’s afraid she knows where. His laudanum usage has upped itself into a full blow opium addiction. She and Inspector Bainbridge have to go and retrieve him because there has been an interesting death. The notorious (but never proven) thief Edwin Sykes has been found dead. While that would be interesting in itself, it turns out that there was another theft, using Sykes MO, a day after they found Sykes dead. This is why they need Newbury and his paranormal investigative skill. And then when they find another dead Sykes, the case takes a turn for the weird.

Meanwhile, Hobbes’ sister Amelia is having luck with the treatment of her seizures, but she’s not ready for meeting anyone, not even her sister. And Queen Victoria, barely living with mechanical accoutrements keeping her barely (and creepily) alive. The doctor keeping her mechanisms working is also Amelia’s doctor and the Queen has taken an interest in Amelia’s treatment (and her precognition).

Newbury and Hobbes are drawn into the investigations and find themselves involved in conspiracies against the Queen while missing the conspiracies from the Queen. The relationship between Newbury and Hobbes deepens after Newbury kicks his opium addiction (while being held hostage), but their are plans afoot that could endanger them all.

Overall the book is another wonderful chapter in what’s becoming a very interesting series. The end of this book points out a number of directions the series can go next as our heroes fail to realize that the villains they have defeated might have been right. As I mentioned, the relationship between Hobbes and Newbury deepens and I like how Mann has made Hobbes more proactive and the leader in some of the investigations rather than have her be the sounding board and damsel in distress. The story not only covers territory in this story, but helps answer longer range questions from previous books as well as setting up future story lines. A good book, but it really needs to be read in series order. Recommended.