After hearing good things about Dan Abnett's work in the 40K universe, I decided to jump into the Bequin novels, of which there are two in the series so far (he's written well over 20 Warhammer books altogether).
Pariah is a novel of two halves - the first sets the scene, with a protagonist (Beta) at times too professional, too unemotional to really become attached to; the second a descent through Beta's crumbling world, which builds to an enthralling climax.
Beta is an Inquisitorial agent, adopting various roles or functions to infiltrate the city of Queen Mab's nefarious nooks and crannies to uncover (primarily) heretical dealings. It is a place withered and worn by humanity's wars in the stars, where the machinations of chaos have taken root. However, as her life starts to unravel in a series of catastrophic events, she discovers much greater peril at the heart of the city, which reaches to the highest echelons of society.
It's in the latter stages of the novel that the loose ends come together and seemingly random encounters take meaning, which speaks volumes of Dan's authorial powers. It's also where Beta blossoms into a much more relatable being - amongst other things - and, with her caught between opposing forces, it sets up the next novel in the series nicely.
There were some editorial issues, e.g., the large amount of metaphors used, which proliferated early in the book and detracted from my enjoyment (however I know this won't be an issue for everyone), but these were offset by the joy of the world building, a favourite of mine being the warblind, those augmented, used and discarded veterans of war, now terrifying Queen Mab's underworld.
Have patience with this story and it'll reward you. I'm looking forward to getting started on the second Bequin novel.
Score - 3/5