Review: fantastic victorian detective story!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 18, 2012
There's just something captivating about Victorian England that lends itself the a good detective story.  Especially when a good author is at the helm.Jack Brodie is an inquiry agent, a private eye.  He's tasked with retrieving a rich merchant's stolen goods after his home is broken into.  Jack senses all is not what it seems.  And he's right.  Jack has to work the case as well as deal with a specter of the past while trying to get the job done.What makes this a very fun, fast paced read isn't just the detective story.  It's the characters.  Jack Brodie isn't just some stuffy and stiff reading 19th century detective.  He's not dashing and he's not James Bond.  He's awkward looking, he's honorable but he's imperfect.  That's what makes him interesting.  His a widower and father to two children, one of who is sick.  He also flirts with the dark side and wonders which side he should really be on.  As the story is told in the first person, the reader gets a very good idea of what's going on in Jack's head which makes him seem all the more real.The rich merchant and his somewhat 'off' neice are interesting to read as are all the seedier characters in the novel.This is my first time reading William King.  I actually didn't know that fantasy was more his wheelhouse.  I know of Gotrex and Felix.  I have the first two omnibuses which I haven't read yet.  But seeing how well Mr. King writes I'm eager to visit his sandbox once again.The Inquiry Agent is very fast and engaging detective story which I have no reservations of recommending to anyone who enjoys a good cozy mystery.