Whisper in the Wind is the fourth novel in the urban fantasy series The Fetch Phillips Archive, written by Luke Arnold, published by Orbit. Former detective Fetch Phillips seeks to have a peaceful life while running the cafe in a city still in shock after the loss of magic; however, soon he will be forced to be again involved in the city's turmoil, delivering an adventure that mix the noir and the gritty with more humoristic moments, and with a healthy dose of social messaging.

After just trying to defend a fugitive child who seeks refuge in his cafe, Phillips is blackmailed into investigating a string of assassinations targeting powerful people across Sunder City. A life he tried to abandon to regent the cafe, but which seems to be persecuting him together with his past; all in an instalment that plays into the noir elements of the series, paired with the sudden loss of magic, perfect to create a seemingly impossible to resolve mystery for Phillips.

Something that I found particularly fascinating about Whisper is how Arnold uses the Sunder City setting to introduce themes that are incredibly relevant nowadays, especially regarding the erosion of government structures in favour of a de facto oligarchy with the order forces being used as the support for fascism (it gives me chills to think how accurate it is). A Sunder City that is also still under shock after the loss of magic, with many people still struggling to grasp the situation, making them vulnerable to demagogic discourses and easy solutions; also it is interesting how the revolutionaries are mostly daydreamers, with not so many of them aware of how much you might have to sacrifice for a cause.

In terms of characterization, this new version of Phillips, trying to just run a cafe, is kinda interesting; but we can see how his element is the investigation, even if those in power are totally not his cup of tea. There are also a fair share of new characters, who could have been a bit more developed, but still with some memorable moments; I understand that pacing had a bit of priority in that regard.

Whisper in the Wind is a great instalment in the Fetch Phillips series, a perfect choice if you want to read a noir urban fantasy that will leave you thinking about its themes after you close the book. Hopefully, this won't be Phillips' last adventure!