THE NOTORIOUS SCARLETT AND BROWNE

Pasts, futures, and zombies challenge two young bank robbers in a dystopian future Britain.

Surly quick-draw specialist Scarlett McCain and her game but distractable mind-reading partner, Albert Browne, first met in The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne (2021). They really have their work cut out for them in this sequel, as rescuing two friends from the clutches of brutal crime lords requires hijacking a shipment of high-tech artifacts mined from an ancient and heavily guarded pre-Cataclysm site—even as an agent of the implacable Faith Houses with scarily strong telepathic and telekinetic powers is hot on their trail. Stroud dishes up another gleefully violent, headlong plot replete with cliffhangers, breathtaking feats, and all-too-narrow escapes from both hails of bullets and terrifying creatures ranging from outsized owls and snakes to humans transformed into infectious, cannibalistic Tainted. In developing the outrageous pair of rogues who front this memorably colorful cast of thugs and shady characters, he takes time out to fill in some of Scarlett’s nightmarish childhood, particularly her profound guilt for failing to protect her little brother after the deaths of their parents. Albert likewise gains dimension by learning to face his fears about losing control of his own mental powers in the course of a wildly explosive climax. In the aftermath, a glimmer of hope that Scarlett’s brother might not have been eaten by the Tainted after all sets up future exploits. Like the two leads, the entire cast reads as White.

More rousing, swashbuckling fun.