Reviewed by Manik Chaturmutha for Readers' Favorite

A King’s Ransom by Jeffrey D. Parfitt takes place in a rough, unpolished version of Los Angeles. It follows the lives of Holly Ransom and her family of retired assassins as they’re reluctantly pulled back into an underground war between vampire cartels, corrupted syndicates, and the unhinged Fang Gang. After seeing her mother murdered and growing up with assassins for parents, teenage Holly wants to carve her own identity, armed with butterfly knives, sharp wit, sarcasm, and an unhealthy love for spicy coffee. As she trains and investigates her mom’s death, the tangled threads of old alliances, strange supernatural drugs, and mysterious betrayals start to unravel. With alternating perspectives from Holly and her father Kit, the novel blends dark humour, violence, and heart to tell a revenge tale full of vampires, demons, freaky baristas, and oddly touching family moments.

A King’s Ransom stands out with its chaotic mix of violence, humour, and supernatural grit. For a story that wild, the plot is well structured. It kicks off with an outrageous prologue, then dives into Holly’s fierce, and sometimes reckless, push to fight back and figure out who she is. The pace stays fast, never losing steam. Twists, like the layers in Kit’s past and the unpredictable mess of the Fang Gang, keep things interesting. What makes this book shine is the world-building: vampire-addictive pixie blood, glitter-pooping fairies, assassin baristas, it’s ridiculous in the best possible way. The writing is raw and sharp, full of snappy dialogue and foul-mouthed lines that somehow make the emotional moments, grief, guilt, and connection hit even harder. One thing that really works is how it blends brutal action, over-the-top comedy, and actual heart. The multiple POVs add layers without slowing anything down. A King’s Ransom by Jeffrey D. Parfitt is wild, fun, and full of character. Perfect for fans of weird urban fantasy, revenge stories, and material like The Boys or Deadpool.