THE FLESH KING by Richard Kadrey – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Flesh King by Richard Kadrey
Series: Discreet Eliminators #2
Published by Titan Books on October 7 2025
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 144
Format: Finished hardcover
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Ford, Neuland and Tilda are back for more paranormal action in this fun sequel to The Pale House Devil.

The Flesh King is a fun sequel to Richard Kadrey’s The Pale House Devil, which I enjoyed a couple of years ago, and although this is a self contained story, I would recommend reading the series in order. The core idea is fantastic: we follow two paranormal hitmen, Ford and Neuland, and the twist is that Ford is alive but only kills the undead, and Neuland is dead (a revenant) and only kills the living. Between the two of them they have it covered! In the last book we met a woman named Tilda who hired them to help her kill a demon. Now Tilda is part of the team, since she’s proven herself to be a worthy partner.

Business has been very slow lately, and Ford and Neuland find themselves having to live off Tilda’s inheritance until they can score a job. One day they get a visit from the other bigwig hitmen in town, who blackmail them into finding and killing an entity dubbed the Skinner, who absorbs his victims until they are nothing but bones. 

Shortly after, they’re offered yet another job: to kill a man named Andy Vega. It’s not long before they figure out that the two jobs might be connected.

Kadrey’s characters are so much fun! I loved the banter among Tilda, Ford and Neuland, who bicker and tease each other like an old married couple (although their relationships are purely platonic). Tilda has embraced the life of a killer, oddly enough, and she’s learning how to shoot guns and throw knives, among other things. She’s also whip smart and willing to jump into dangerous situations, which makes her an invaluable member of the team. Because Tilda is much younger than the other two, Ford and Neuland are almost father figures to her. 

I also love Kadrey’s urban fantasy world, and there’s plenty of magic mixed in with the day to day grind of killing for pay. Neuland is a chemist of sorts, and I loved the mingling of science and magic. The author sheds a little more light on Neuland’s “undead” status, but I feel like there’s still a lot more for the reader to learn. We also get to see some chapters from the Skinner’s point of view, which show the disturbing way he kills his victims. There’s some graphic violence in The Flesh King, so do be aware if that’s a trigger for you.

As for negatives, my one issue with this series involves the length of the books. I mentioned in my review of The Pale House Devil that it was way too short, and the same thing applies here. Kadrey stuffs a lot into his plot, but the length doesn’t necessarily allow for all the parts to gel together. The characters rush around a lot from place to place, and this frenetic pace sometimes made the logistics confusing. I almost wish the author would turn these novellas into full length novels, giving the characters more time to breathe and interact with each other.

But aside from that, I don’t have much to complain about. There’s a nice twist involving one of the characters that will most certainly be addressed in the next book, and I can’t wait to see what adventures this trio gets up to next.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.