Thieves' Quarry (Thieftaker Chronicles)
Boston 1768. Thief taker Ethan Kaille isn’t particularly surprised when he’s asked to find out why the crew of a British naval vessel docked in Boston Harbor has died all at once. This wouldn’t be Kaille’s first death investigation—Thieftaker (2012) involved the murder of a young girl—but he knows it isn’t his investigatory skills that led to this latest assignment. It’s apparent from the circumstances that the crew’s death was caused by a magical spell, and who better to catch a spell caster than another conjurer? Ethan is an interesting series hero: a convicted mutineer, a man who can turn himself invisible, and—as we see here—a man not afraid to put his life on the line when faced with a conjurer even more powerful than he is. At once a gripping historical mystery and an inventive urban-style fantasy, the book should appeal to a wide spectrum of readers. Jackson, who has a Ph.D in American history, does an excellent job of making us feel like we’re in Boston not long before the War of Independence. More Ethan Kaille adventures would be most welcome. --David Pitt