Best Served Cold,

Revenge as a to-do list

Seven parts, seven targets, each with its own plan, so vengeance reads like a heist with a body count.

The cost of getting even

Admirers say the killing leaves marks on Monza and Shivers instead of being celebrated.

A heroine who won't charm you

Monza is prickly and hard to relate to, and the book is built around that.

Dark humor as contrast

The jokes sit beside vivid, gory combat, and that clash is the book's signature.

The book won praise for its bleak humor, inventive set pieces and bruising take on revenge. Fantasy-Faction called it Abercrombie's best work to that point. Some readers find it more formulaic, and harder to love, than the trilogy.

Reading experience

A long, episodic book in seven parts that reads easily in chunks, though some readers feel the middle drags and the bleak tone wears you out.

Reading order

A standalone set in the First Law world, listed fourth in publication order after The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged and Last Argument of Kings. It's followed by The Heroes and Red Country. New lead, new setting, but some trilogy characters return, so reviewers suggest reading the trilogy first.

Content notes

Extensive profanity; Graphic, gory violence; Occasional graphic sexual content that some readers find awkward; Bleak, brutal tone.

Do you need to read the First Law trilogy first?

Not strictly. It has a new lead and setting, and some readers manage fine alone. But a few characters and jokes land harder if you know the trilogy, and reviewers suggest starting there.

Is Best Served Cold part of a series?

It's a standalone in the First Law world. It's the first of three standalones, followed by The Heroes and Red Country.

Is it as good as the trilogy?

Readers disagree. Some call it Abercrombie's best, others say little matches the trilogy's cast. It's bleaker and more polished, with a harder-to-love lead.

• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas — Readers and a critic compare its revenge structure to this classic.
• Kill Bill (film) by Quentin Tarantino — A critic and readers cite it as the model for a betrayed fighter working through a hit list.