As other reviewers have more adequately stated, this series as a whole was rough. It is infused with a too-too reality of life in the USA during the out-loud, emboldened uprising of white supremacist groups in the past years. It, as a whole, adequately captures the local politics that are incredibly personal--and that the strategy is very much disrupt the school board, the public education, and so on. There was an attempt here, and there will be again, and it's a little traumatic to be faced down with that in this arc.

It even directly confronts that well worn line from Rage Against the Machine "Some of those who work forces are the same that burn crosses," (Killing the Name) as Somers is confronted with a police force that uphold and organize for the neo-Nazi groups.

Aside from that, there is a school shooting, and...well, that's rough and that's real

But that's what I will say for Ashe. Aside from the fact he definitely understands the pulse of the nation, the ugly underbelly of politics, and the deep dark rivers of human emotion the experience is as life like as it can feel (which is why I wouldn't say these are always "enjoyable" and I even often leave the middle installments largely unrated. It's why I don't mind seeing Ashe use North and Shaw (who I do like-but not all do), and why I even have patience to no end when the characters enter a dark place and are in an established relationship. Simply, it's all agonizingly familiar-freakishly so. (Yeah, and the kids too!). There's this scene where Hazard feels used by his husband, completely and utterly detached and hurt. And I don't know which book. But I will tell you-it was devastatingly well done.

That said, Somers had the majority of the internal struggles in this series, and maybe even external. So in a sense Hazard felt there-he was wonderful at times and mildly *too* quirky at others? I felt like maybe I needed to go back and revisit the almost encyclopedic eccentricities to see if that was really true to his character. It was almost an attempt at humor-the unintentionally hilarious clueless literal straight man in humor-and sometimes I felt it veered too much to...well too much.

All that said, I think these are Hazard's books. They always feel a little uneven to me, a little less internal to Somers even if Somers is the focus, and maybe that's why this series overall fell - not flat- but was slightly less compelling to me.

But here's the thing, I want more. I still will always want more. I still think they might want to avoid any more concussions, enroll in a TBI study, and move the hell away from the murderous small town they live in.

Wow. Really - just, wow.

In a series finale, Gregory Ashe always seems to pull out the stops. He does so here, but more than before?

Final Orders is a rollercoaster with highs and lows and sudden momentary pauses which turn your emotions inside out. In many ways, this has been a fraught series. Colt's effect on Hazard and Somers; Hazard navigating parenthood; Somers growing painfully into his new job as chief of police. There's not been much in the way of unalloyed happiness.

There's more emotional sunshine here - hard-won but perhaps all the brighter for it. However the intervals are still patchy. There's plenty of anger, resentment, and bigotry which come across as alarmingly real. A febrile, poisonous atmosphere drives the plot, an atmosphere which is too close to the bone for Hazard and Somers and many other characters.

As ever with a finale, Ashe draws together many of the outstanding plot threads and weaves them with consummate skill. This is the best finale novel so far. Tightly-written, compelling, emotionally charged, it held me in its grip like few other novels have.

Tristan James is Hazard and Somers, his characterisations honed over 16 novels. Perfect.

Hazard is hired by the author's daughter due to threats on her life. When the author is killed, Hazard and Somers embark on finding the murderer. Complicating matters, a group of parents opposing LGBTQ+ content in books adds an extra layer of difficulty to their search.

I can't believe it's over. I love Hazard and Somers so much, and I'm going to miss them dearly. The book had its ups and downs, but overall, I really enjoyed it. We finally get answers about what's going on between Colt and Ash, and I'm pleased with the outcome. When I mentioned in my previous review that I wanted more of Gray, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind. I wasn’t sure about him but he’s really grown on me. The parents at the school are unbelievably hateful; part of me can't believe people like that exist in real life. Auggie and Theo are always a welcome addition, though I briefly feared for Theo's well-being. Thankfully, everything turned out well.