Hiyama Vol. 2

I really enjoyed the first instalment in the Hiyama series, so the arrival of volume 2 was met with some anticipation. Ex-squaddie Gruff79 introduced us to the dystopian world in which Hiyama is set and where crime is out of control. The patriarch of the Hiyama family, Chen, kept a long-standing agreement with Scotland Yard going in which he would act as a vigilante and punish those out of reach from the long arm of the law. As he has aged, he has become more of a tutor and advisor to his headstrong daughter, Mei, who uses him for childcare services whilst she is travelling around the UK dispensing justice.
 
Aided by John Torrent, now Commissioner at the Met, she is away on business when a gang, that has kidnapped twenty seven children already, abducts her daughter, Bee. A promising martial arts exponent herself, Bee is the apple of her mother's eye and her disappearance forces Mei to compel the Met to act and battle her own inner demons. Just as her father had, the rage that enables the Hiyamas to perform such incredibly accurate acts of violence leads to a 'devil within' that they must learn to control, so the rage does not consume them.
 
This second volume is a much more accomplished work than the first and is a real page-turner that's almost impossible to put down. The political and legal framework is challenging as vigilante justice is contrary to everything I believe in, yet the scenarios contained in this book make it almost appealing and desirable. It's clearly based on topical issues with child abuse and people trafficking featuring heavily and Gruff79 even fits in a 'Why so serious?' poster.
 
The artwork is the same as the first with a pencil/charcoal look and the greyscale look suits the dark subject matter perfectly. The rear cover has 'Parental Advisory: Contains scenes of violence' printed at the bottom corner, which reflects the sheer amount of torture and murder inside - this isn't for kids! Some pages are very dark, with the detail fairly hard to make out, but this seems to be intentional as it reflects the mood.
 
Devils Within is a fine follow-up to the first instalment and the third in the series is set up very well at the end, with a new gang in town for the Hiyamas and Commissioner Torrent to face.