I know plenty of people like us—some born in the underworld, some who ended up there by exile or by choice—but it never gets old to meet another. Women with cocks, men with cunts, people who are both or neither, people who have chosen to change themselves with clothes and haircuts and new names, and those like me who use magic. [p. 80]
C Forestier has appeared in the previous two novels in the French Letters series (The Scandalous Letters of V and J and The Mischievous Letters of the Marquise de Q) but only peripherally: he's a resident of the same boarding house as Victor and Julie(n), and his work as a police officer seems to involve him in some of the same occult mysteries as the protagonists of those earlier books. In The Anonymous Letters of C Forestier, he embarks on a correspondence (and more!) with the mysterious, long-lived Isabelle de Tourzin. They seem to be hunting the same man, Malbosc, who has deceived and stolen from them both. And Isabelle and Forestier both have secrets that they'd kill to protect...
We learn rather more about Forestier's past, and their determination to find Malbosc, than about Isabelle's mysterious origins and magical nature: but Isabelle's determination and courage, and Forestier's growing respect and liking for her, are excellently paced. Nice to see how Isabelle is using Delphine's compass, too, and how Victor (who works for, or with, Isabelle) is blossoming in their new role. There are some dark elements in this novel -- kudos to Davin for including a list of trigger warnings! -- but love and diversity conquer all.
Read because: I recently read the second in the series, and then had to go back and reread the first to make sense of it -- so I felt it wise to prioritise this third (and so far final) volume, while the characters and setting were still fresh in my mind.
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