If there's one thing I love in urban fantasy, it's a good mentor-mentee relationship, and Cold Iron Task delivers that in spades. At the heart of this book—and really, the entire series—is the dynamic between the well-meaning but occasionally hapless Grimsby and his grizzled, world-weary mentor, Mayflower. Their partnership's brilliance is in how they've begun to shape each other. Once content to drown his regrets in work (or a bottle), Mayflower is slowly learning to confront his past. At the same time, Grimsby has gained both confidence and a sharp edge that wasn't there before. He's no longer just the scrappy underdog; he's stepping into his power, and I loved watching it happen.

Grimsby's growth is one of my favorite aspects of this book. His development feels natural, not rushed, and completely relatable. He's starting to take ownership of his abilities, stand his ground, and dig deeper into his own history—all while navigating the ever-evolving push-and-pull of his relationship with Mayflower. And speaking of that relationship, it's everything I want in a mentor-mentee dynamic: full of begrudging respect, exasperation, and (underneath it all) genuine, if gruff, care for one another. Grimsby's journey is one that many of us can see ourselves in, making his character all the more compelling.

Beyond the character work, Cold Iron Task is packed with everything that makes an urban fantasy shine: magical heists, shifting allegiances, high-stakes action, and twists that keep you on your toes. But what keeps me returning isn't just the magic or the action—it's the characters. I care about Grimsby and Mayflower. I want to see where they go next, how they continue to grow, and what chaos they inevitably find themselves in. The urban fantasy elements in this book are not just entertaining, they're downright captivating.

James J. Butcher, if you're listening, please make this a long series. I want to watch Grimsby and Mayflower evolve for years to come. The thought of their future adventures is something that fills me with anticipation and hope.

The ending of the second book in the Unorthodox Files left me curious as to whether the series was meant to be a trilogy or ongoing. Happily, Cold Iron Task confirms that it's the latter.

Like previous entries in the series, the strength of Cold Iron Task lies in the counterbalance between its two lead characters: the well-meaning but somewhat bumbling Grimsby, and the grizzled old veteran Mayflower. At this point in their relationship, it's become clear that each of them has rubbed off on the other to some degree: Mayflower grapples with the mistakes of his past, but thanks to Grimsby's influence is more willing to confront them than to bury himself in work or a bottle. Grimsby is more confident and forthright, both in his magical abilities and in his interactions with other people, but also has inherited a degree of Mayflower's anger.

Anger, as it happens, is both a theme and a driving force in Cold Iron Task, as our two heroes grapple with how to deal with rage (justified and otherwise) without causing collateral harm to the innocent. The struggle between self-control and fury runs throughout the story, leading it (and our heroes) to the final, inevitable test of their character. If you enjoyed the first two books in this series, Cold Iron Task will deliver for you in spades.

"Grimsby, a junior Auditor in the magical Department of Unorthodox Affairs, finds himself on the other side of the law in this spellbinding urban fantasy.

Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby may have one case under his belt, but he's still a novice Auditor in Boston's Department of Unorthodox Affairs. And he's already made mistakes.

Desperate to repair his fraying friendships, he doesn't ask too many questions when a mysterious patron offers him the chance to join a heist of an otherworldly vault - and in the process find answers that could make things right.

Complications arise when Grimsby learns that his partner, Mayflower, is keeping secrets about his past. Between facing new demons, old horrors, and monsters - both Usual and Unorthodox - Grimsby soon realizes nothing is how it appears and that not asking enough questions just might be his downfall."

Seriously, you only pull a heist with people you trust.

Huntsman Mayflower and Grimsby find themselves in more trouble, each going their separate ways to deal with what they both see as personal issies. Mayflower needsto help another Huntsman from Boston, other Huntsman that are not allowed in Mayflower's city, to find his younger brother who fled to Boston. Grimsby is set to help Wudge find his door, since the imp keeps making life at home hard from Grimsby., and find a way to save Rayne from the entity now bound to her and the mysterious nail that messes with magic. They have to do the work for the Department still and skirt around the rules. The story is action packed from start to finish with new secrets being revealed about Grimsby and Mayflower as the story unfolds. Old enemiers rear their heads as new enemeies emerge from the shadows. Wonderful worldbuilding. The magic winthin Grimsby grows as he learns more. from enemies, his history, and friends. For those that enjoyed the first two books. this is heartfelt, nuanced continuation of the series. I can't waiit to get my hands on book four.

To start, a huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read an eARC of Cold Iron Task in return for an honest review.

Cold Iron Task is the third installment in James J. Butcher's The Unorthodox Chronicles. Continuing the adventures of novice Auditor Grimsby with experienced and grizzled Huntsman Mayflower, Butcher has continued an Urban Fantasy story worthy of his famous father. The story does an excellent job continuing to build on the lore of the first two books with a solid mixture of action and exposition.

Picking up where Long Past Dues left off, Grimsby is reeling from his "failure" with Rayne. When she asks for a favor from Grimsby, he gladly offers to do all he can to help her. At the same time, Mayflower is tasked with helping a rival Huntsman with a familial concern. To top it all off, Grimsby is pressed into the service of an Unorthodox "criminal" to try and solve a murder that incidentally ends up connecting Rayne's favor and Mayflower's personal mission all together.

Over the course of the story, we see Grimsby start to grow into his new role and learn so much more about his background. We also start to get a better understanding of Mayflower and Huntsman culture and history. Butcher is definitely doing some very solid world-building even if it feels a little derivative of his father's Dresden-world. Overall, the book is a great read leaving me wanting more and eagerly awaiting the next chapter in the story.

The success of a long running urban fantasy series hinges on its ability to give you enough action and satisfying closure in each book, but also continue to up the stakes (without getting utterly ridiculous), adding depth to the world, and growing both the character and the wider mystery/plot/antagonist. Cold Iron Task is the third book in The Unorthodox Chronicles, and it continues to deliver on the promise of the first two books.

The trope of younger detective/protégé paired with older, grizzled, cynical veteran is pulled off perfectly. Grimsby, our young novice Auditor, has clearly become much closer to Mayflower, his reluctant mentor. Which makes it that much more difficult when everyone begins keeping secrets from each other. There’s a lot to unpack here about the importance of trust and found family, and a lot is introduced about our characters backstories.

Magical heists, trust and betrayal, plenty of action. But most importantly, this series manages to give me characters I care about and I want to follow. I love the mentor-mentee relationship trope, especially in urban fantasy, and I hope that Butcher intends to make this a loooong series so I can watch the evolution of Grimsby, Mayflower, and their relationship for years to come.

On another note, I can’t find the name of the artist who’s doing the covers for this series, but they are killing it! I love this style. Publishers, please start listing artists along with authors! Give them credit for this phenomenal work!

Cold Iron Task comes out March 4, and if you’re a fan of the urban fantasy genre I definitely recommend it. Thank you Berkley Publishing Group/Ace Books and NetGalley, for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This one keeps up the quality level of the first two. Introduces some more antagonists and we find out about some history of the magical world and more about our heroes' back stories, and we also see some interesting uses of magic. I found for me it started a bit slow, but then ramped up the stakes and the action so that it was hard to put down for the last third or so. Lots of place still to go from here, too and I am looking forward to the next one.

Cold Iron Task by James J. Butcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The third book in the UF is truly circling back to pick up the cliffhangers of the first. This is pretty great. But more importantly, we're getting a lot more details and character building. Action, magic, and mystery is great, but any story is ultimately going to hang on how much we like the characters.

At least for me, I'm solid there. It's like I'm getting a good dose of vitamin C with the pulp of this orange juice of a book. At least for the synesthesia part of the review, I kinda feel like I'm fighting off a cold, which is strange for how much our MC keeps bursting into flame, or walking around like a soot-mobile. So thank goodness for the juice, even if it doesn't mix too well with the carbon sheen.

I'm still having a lot of fun. I really like the snark.

I have been waiting for this series to take things to the next level, trusting that Jim's lessons will be leveraged in James' story and finally, this is the book that does it. A fast paced story combining heist elements with mystery and heavy thematic work, James really smashes it out of the park with this one. Unknown history comes into the light, family is incorporated as a theme in multiple ways, and most importantly, we get an acknowledgement of just how much things have changed for poor Grimsby, a mark of respect that he lives up to splendidly in this outing. Buy oh boy, the mystery and the questions that are raised in this one . . . it's been a long time since I binged a Butcher book all night long, is all I'll say about it. A great instalment, and I already can't wait to see where this goes next.
NB: YouTube video review goes live on 9th Feb, 2025.

A solid 4.5/5 for me. Butcher the Younger's writing style and skills continue to improve and are the strongest thus far for book 3. At first I thought far too much was happening without resolution, but this book's plot and follow through finally catch reader's up with occurrences that have taken place in previous books. Plenty of good stuff to follow!

Entertaining and engaging - a recommended purchase for collections where fantasy and the Butchers' work is popular.

James Butcher has done it again. Urban fantasy at its peak. If you loved the previous installments in the series, this won't disappoint!