Good Guys    by Steven Brust Order:  USA  Can Tor, 2018 (2018) Hardcover, e-Book      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson I've been a fan for decades of Steven Brust's beguiling Dragaeran series, with ongoing witty banter between Vlad Taltos and his familiar jhereg. Recently the author has been branching out, with his Incrementalist novels (about a secret society, whose members carry unbroken memories that go back forty thousand years), and now Good Guys. This one is filled with Brust's trademark banter too. Our hero, Donovan, was shot by a cop for arguing while black (straight out of today's media reports). But he didn't die. Instead he was recruited by the Foundation, which assigns missions to teams with a variety of magical (and other) talents - they believe themselves to be the good guys. As Good Guys opens, Donovan contacts his team (Marci and Susan) about their latest assignment - to investigate a series of increasingly nasty executions involving magic. Marci levitated a paperweight at age fifteen and her magical abilities have been honed by the Foundation, but this is her first assignment. Susan, affectionately dubbed 'Hippie chick' by Donovan, is the muscle of the team, expert in many martial arts. They investigate, avoiding traps set for them most of the time, and are targeted in turn by whoever the opposition is. That's the puzzler, as the murder victims are all associated with the other, less ethical, magical organization, the Mystici. But Donovan's crew keep doing their job, which is 'to prevent knowledge of magic from leaking out into the awareness of the general public.' Good Guys is high entertainment as only Steven Brust can deliver it - a riveting blend of mystery and magic, with a smart aleck hero, a perplexing puzzle based on vengeance, and delightful dialogue throughout. Don't miss this one! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Fantasy books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews