A Murder Of Mages
Marshall Ryan Maresca
DAW, Jul 7 2015, $7.99
ISBN: 9780756410278
Injured on the job, Maradaine Constabulary at
Inemar Inspector First Class Loren Rainey lies near death. Needing to feed and shelter their two
children, his wife Satrine arrives at the Inemar Constabulary with forged
references to enhance her credentials as a former street rat and ex spy to
Captain Cinellan. Reluctantly he
introduces her to her partner, Third Class Inspector Minox Welling on a one
week trial basis.
No one voluntarily teams with Welling the “Jinx”
as horrid occurrences happen to anyone partnering with this Uncircled mage cop,
but Satrine has no choice. They
investigate the shocking homicide of a Circled mage whose heart was removed and
extremities nailed into the ground by spikes containing magic in the
neighborhood where Satrine was once a rat.
Meanwhile the Circles refuse to cooperate as the mages insist they
police their own. A second corpse as
hideously murdered as the first is found, but the Circles remain adamantly
silent and civilians rejoice with the deaths of each mage even as an internal
war of magic threatens to ignite.
The fabulous first Maradaine Constabulary police
procedural fantasy occurs in the same realm as the Thorn of Dentonhill. The excellent cast makes for a wonderful
whodunit; as Satrine faces sexism for being the first female inspector; while
Minox deals with mage-ism prejudice of being the first Uncircled
inspector. The people residing in the
seedy Maradaine neighborhoods and the Circles reject helping law enforcement as
both diverse groups share in common (an extremely rare event) a hatred and
distrust of police. With a nod to M.R. Sellars’ exciting Rowan Gant paranormal
mysteries (see Harm None), Marshall Ryan Maresca authors an exceptional serial killer
case.
Harriet Klausner
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