Best Served Cold is a dark and gripping revenge tale written by Joe Abercrombie. The story begins with the assassination of Duke Orso, a ruthless ruler of a city-state named Talins, by his own mercenary, Monza Murcatto, who was once his most trusted advisor. However, things do not go as planned as Monza is betrayed by her lover, brother, and six other mercenaries and left for dead.

Monza survives but is severely injured and crippled. She vows to take revenge on her betrayers and hires a motley crew of assassins and thieves to aid her in her quest for vengeance, promising them a share of the bounty once she has achieved her goal. However, things do not go as smoothly as Monza had hoped, as her first attempt to kill one of her enemies goes awry.

The story then takes us on a rollercoaster ride as Monza and her crew traverse the dangerous and treacherous terrain of Talins, carrying out one hit after another on her enemies. Along the way, the reader is introduced to a cast of intriguing characters, some of whom are Monza's allies, while others are her enemies.

The characters are all flawed, and their motives are never entirely pure. Monza herself is a fascinating character who walks the line between victim and villain. She is fiercely determined to avenge herself, but at times her thirst for blood threatens to consume her entirely.

The story is more than just a simple tale of revenge. It explores themes of power, loyalty, redemption, and the price of vengeance. Each character has their own reasons for being involved in Monza's quest, and their stories are weaved together in a complex web of intrigue and betrayal.

As Monza's mission progresses, she realizes that her enemies are not the only ones who have betrayed her. She also discovers the dark secrets of her past and the lengths she is willing to go to avenge herself. The reader is left questioning whether Monza's quest for vengeance is justified or whether she has become as evil as those she seeks to destroy.

The story builds to a tense and explosive climax, with each character's fate hanging in the balance. Abercrombie's writing is vivid and visceral, and his descriptions of violence and gore are not for the faint-hearted.

In conclusion, Best Served Cold is an excellent book that will appeal to fans of dark fantasy, revenge tales, and complex character studies. The plot is engaging, the world-building is excellent, and the characters are well developed. Abercrombie has crafted a dark and gripping story of revenge that will keep readers hooked from beginning to end.

The cold wind swept in from the sea and gave the docks of Talins a damn good blasting. Or a damn bad one, depending how well dressed you were. Shivers weren’t that well dressed at all. He pulled his thin coat tight round his shoulders, though he might as well not have bothered, for all the good it did him. He narrowed his eyes and squinted miserably into the latest gust. He was earning his name today, alright. He had been for weeks.

He remembered sitting warm by the fire, up in the North in a good house in Uffrith, with a belly full of meat and a head full of dreams, talking to Vossula about the wondrous city of Talins. He remembered it with some bitterness, because it was that bloody merchant, with his dewy eyes and his honey tales of home, who’d talked him into this nightmare jaunt to Styria.

Vossula had told him that the sun always shone in Talins. That was why Shivers had sold his good coat before he set off. Didn’t want to end up sweating, did he? Seemed now, as he shivered like a curled-up autumn leaf only just still clinging to its branch, that Vossula had been doing some injury to the truth.

Shivers watched the restless waves chew at the quay, throwing icy spray over the few rotting skiffs stirring at their rotting wharves. He listened to the hawsers creaking, to the ill seabirds croaking, to the wind making a loose shutter rattle, to the grunts and grumbles of the men around him. All of ’em huddled on the docks for the sniff of a chance at work, and there’d never been in one place such a crowd of sad stories. Grubby and gaunt, ragged clothes and pinched-in faces. Desperate men. Men just like Shivers, in other words. Except they’d been born here. He’d been stupid enough to choose this.

He slid the last hard heel of bread from his inside pocket as carefully as a miser breaking out his hoard, took a nibble from the end, making sure to taste every crumb of it. Then he caught the man nearest to him staring, licking his pale lips. Shivers felt his shoulders slump, broke some off and handed it over.