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Secret Histories follows the Simon R. Green formula. If you like the formula, you'll like this first entry in the series and perhaps all that follow. The setting is alternate-London, and the conceit is a group of "Droods" keeping the world safe with a bunch of magic and tech. Strong protagonist, stronger but less wise female sidekick, insurmountable odds that you're never worried that the protagonist isn't up to. It's fun, but paint-by-numbers.

I've enjoyed reading all of the Vlad Taltos books, sometimes more and sometimes less, but always with enjoyment. This book is simultaneously one of the better ones--it's clever--and also perhaps a bit tired. The story is fun, but the idea of the main character being under some kind of doom for nearly the entire series is both a signature of the series and grounds for a complaint. There's no anxiety that he's not going to get out of it, it's more a question of how and when.

I usually don't like novellas, not because they're can't be good but rather the length is puzzlingly unsatisfying. This novella is a jewel, and it gripped me with tension and unease that never really dissipated until the end. Nothing went as I expected, but I was delighted how the storyline resolved itself. It's well worth a read.