Writer – David Lucarelli
Artist – Henry Ponciano
Letters – HDE

Abigail is just a little distraught at the moment as her friend has disappeared under mysterious circumstances and is in very real danger. Of course, she has to do something as there is nobody else that can do anything to help or at least not the police that is. Powerful men are involved and there are things in play that are far bigger than one pregnant girl, yet if Abigail can find Betty, maybe she has a way to stop everything from happening. She has one clue, a pack of matches that lead her to the Meat Market, a whorehouse outside the jurisdiction of the police and so with just Daniel by her side, she means to find out just where Betty is. Author David Lucarelli then sends Abigail undercover and there is a part of her that finds it thrilling even if it means walking straight into danger at the risk of her own life. Arriving at the Meat Market, she means to make herself just like any other girl down on her luck and looking to make a little money. The problem is, that she was seen coming a mile away and finds herself on the end of some bad luck and a watery grave. Thankfully she has Daniel on her side and yet while that permanent resting place did not end up being hers, it ended up at someone else’s door. Lucarelli does not disappoint with this issue, the man taking his heroine and making her exactly that. Abigail finally gets to do some real police work even if she is not a part of the force just yet and it proves to the reader and to herself that she has what it takes should the department ever change its hiring policy. Lucarellie finally kicks things up a notch as he takes Abigail further into the mystery he has been seeding and finding Betty’s body is the last bit of motivation that Abigail needs to really move forward. Making this all work and work well is Henry Ponciano whose artwork is as splendid as ever in this issue, especially with the darker colours throughout and the noir vibe sprinkled in and amongst the story. Lucarelli and Ponciano leave the book on a fantastic cliffhanger, the best yet in this series with a fantastic splash page of Abigail and the missing, now deceased Betty and it fills the reader with all sorts of questions, not to mention anticipation for what is to follow in the final book. Good stuff!

3.5 out of 5