Jack Dandy is my favourite character from this series so I was pleasantly surprised to find a novella dedicated to him. I'm not a huge fan of novellas in general as short stories don't seem to give me enough plot build up as a full length novel (doesn't stop me from reading them). Since this one was about Jack Dandy, I had high expectations. 
 I did like getting into his head and learning more about his background. However, I found that his inner thoughts weren't as exciting as I would have thought and it took away some of his mystery and thus some of his appeal. He is supposed his corrupt business dealings, but he seemed almost too moral and good. It's great that he has a good side and we all know it's there, but I would like to think it's deeper than this novella suggests. Even his background was lacking. There were no big revelations, just some confirmations from stuff hinted at in the series. Although it was fun to read his narrations, I was disappointed. 
 As for the actual story, it was more of a prequel to the third book and focused too much on foreshadowing that plot line than having a story about Jack. I think I would have enjoyed a story about an earlier Jack struggling to rise in the underbelly of society filled with questionable ethics and dastardly actions. It would show more character growth and development and we already know from the books what he has grown into. In this story he is already at the top and it doesn't reveal anything new, in my opinion. 
 Overall, I always love me some Jack Dandy, but I wasn't impressed by this novella.