Secrets of the Fire Sea
Stephen Hunt
Tor, May 27 2012, $27.99
ISBN: 9780765327673
The island continent Jago is a forbidden place with few habitable locations as much of the land is covered by a thick tundra and the magma sea surrounding the continent adds to the horrid environment. Finally no one is allowed to emigrate.
Circlist Church Archbishop Alice Gray adopts orphaned Hannah Conquest, as her ward because her parents who were archeologists died allegedly in accident just after her birth. When the Guild of Valvemen’s leader Vardan Flail drafts Hannah, an upset Alice can do nothing. Soon afterward someone brutally murders Alice and tries to kill Hannah. In the Kingdom of Jackals, the Circlist Inquisition asks former parson Jethro Daunt, a private investigator, to investigate the murder. Knowing a request from the Inquisition denotes do it or else, he gladly accepts the case. With his sentient-robot steamman Boxiron, he travels to the Isle of Jago to probe the archbishop’s homicide.
The latest steampunk Stephen Hunt thriller (see The Kingdom Beyond the Waves, The Court and The Rise of the Iron Moon) is a terrific sleuthing entry as the harsh locale where electricity actually works enhances the suspense. Although the pacing can slow down with the vivid details, fans will enjoy the escapades of the professional, the sidekick and the amateur as they investigate who murdered Alice and what secret does the culprit believe Hannah inherited from her mentor that she must die too.
Harriet Klausner
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