Abaddon's Gate (Expanse, #3)

by James S.A. Corey

“Amos will make sure you’re not interrupted,” he finally said. “Right,” Bull said. “Tell them why that’s reassuring.” “Oh. Well, when Amos is angry he’s the meanest, scariest person I’ve ever met, and he’d walk across a sea of corpses he personally created to help a friend. And one of his good friends just got murdered by the people who are going to be trying to take this office.” “I heard about that,” Anna said. “I’m sorry.” “Yes,” Holden said. “And the last people in the galaxy I’d want to be are the ones that are going to try and break in here to stop you. Amos doesn’t process grief well. It usually turns into anger or violence for him. I have a feeling he’s about to process the shit out of it on some Ashford loyalists.” “Killing people won’t make him feel better,” Anna said, regretting the words the second they left her mouth. These people were going to be risking their lives to protect her. They didn’t need her moralizing at them. “Actually,” Holden said with a half smile, “I think it might for him, but Amos is a special case. You’d be right about most anyone else.”

If we hadn't gotten to know Amos pretty well by this point, all this would sound like overstatement. But we DO know Amos, and we know Holden's right, so it's delightful to overhear Bull prompting him to convince someone else who doesn't know Amos of his capabilities... I think I'm at least partially charmed because I feel like the insider in this exchange -- I get it, but Anna doesn't, not yet.