Category: Science Fiction

Review: Brew Diligence (Maya’s Blog’s Book 2) by Lara McKenzie

Rating: 5⭐️+

“I’ve had some revelations since moving into my own place: 

-Living alone means no witnesses to my weirdness, which is empowering until you accidentally flood the kitchen while making noodles.  Fairy lights are an emotional support infrastructure.  -There is no middle ground between I am thriving and I just organised my socks by emotional damage level.  -There is no such thing as too many mugs.”

From Maya’s Blog, readership is now climbing up to the millions. 

When we last saw Maya, she’d left her abusive family and finally gotten the one room apartment that she had wanted, decorated with fairy lights and a coffee mug. Safe. But Gary the Grim Reaper who had helped saved her from the serial killer was missing, presumably because he violated his own laws. 

Brew Diligence, a book of endless quotable sentences and incredibly moving moments, follows the same perfect format and flow of the first book. Maya, our brave woman barista continues to blog about her experiences to her followers who became her friends and family. 

From 5 to millions, chapters of her moving forward, overcoming some huge challenges with hilarious stories and enormous amounts of pain and anxiety. And bravery. 

Now she and her friends who are also her colleagues are in the midst of the fight to free Gary the Grim Reaper from his prison sentence for helping her escape from the serial killer. 

Gary, another fabulous character, is missing not from the story but from the hole he left behind in the close relationships he formed. Plus his ghost cat, too, who left behind, is ruling the apartment at Maya’s. 

There’s so much trauma and emotional scars here in this story. It’s balanced by the author’s carefully crafted humor and sensitivity to the subject matter and scenes.  Hilarity and horror. Love and hate. Death and rebirth.  

Despair and hope.  It’s brilliant and brutal that all these things exist within this universe, these characters and their stories. 

Is this really only the second book? Surely not.  I’m astonished at the fact that this is so amazing on every level of excellence. 

Yes, highly recommended. If I had more stars in the rating, they’d be there. So many stars!

Love this so much! Including the covers. 

Cover Illustration Main image by Manuka Madushan, Digital Illustrator.

MAYA’S BLOGS:

Espresso Yourself #1

Brew Diligence #2

Uncharted Grounds #3

Flat White Flag #4

Little Bean #5 (coming soon)

Buy link

        Brew Diligence: A Paranormal Comedy with Heart (Maya’s Blogs Book 2)

    

Blurb 

Just as Maya thinks she can relax into recovery and a budding romance with a demon general, the afterlife throws her a curveball.

The Grim Reaper who saved her wasn’t just locked away—he was erased from existence.

What starts as a rescue mission quickly becomes a masterclass in magical bureaucracy, inter-realm politics, and one seriously unhinged plot twist.

Join Maya as she blogs her way through enough supernatural shenanigans to short-circuit reality.

  • Publication date: June 23, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 304 pages
  • Book 2 of 4: Maya’s Blogs

Review:  Espresso Yourself (Maya’s Blog’s Book 1) by Lara McKenzie

Rating: 5⭐️+

“Follow Maya Rivers, an anxious human barista with a gift for latte art and a blog full of chaos, as she navigates life in the Umbrafore Complex: part supernatural stronghold, part magical mayhem zone.”

That’s the hook, along with a great cover, that pulled me into this brilliantly written series by Lara McKenzie.  A supernatural/paranormal universe that incorporates both human and otherworldly elements and characters, author McKenzie writes it from the standpoint of a very human Maya Rose Rivers, a barista in a new job who has decided to blog about her life and work adventures. 

As McKenzie puts it “ADHD in my family, which often comes with concentration struggles. I wanted to create something for people who still love to read and want to disappear into a world, but need shorter bursts and the freedom to jump in and out without losing the thread. Whether you’re neurodivergent, suffer from brain fog, or prefer things served with fewer info dumps, this one is for you.”

So each chapter is a blog post. You can read it and watch as Maya struggles through her journey, with laughter, tears and coffee foam art. Gaining followers, friends of every species, and growing into new strengths and abilities. 

I was really not prepared for the depths of the topics and challenges Maya faces. And how the author weaves these issues into her story. They are hardly noticeable at first, but as Maya grows and explores her own personal struggles through her blog, the revelations are both heartbreaking and then become a beacon of hope for many. 

When I say you can laugh/cry here, yes, you can do exactly that. And write down sentences to savor. 

Another book to buy for my bookshelf and to give as gifts. 

Yes, highly recommended. If I had more stars in the rating, they’d be there. 

Love this so much! 

Why have I just found this author?

Cover Illustration Main image by Manuka Madushan, Digital Illustrator.

MAYA’S BLOGS:

Espresso Yourself #1

Brew Diligence #2

Uncharted Grounds #3

Flat White Flag #4

Little Bean #5 (coming soon)

Buy link

        Espresso Yourself: A Paranormal Comedy with Heart (Maya’s Blogs Book 1)

    

Blurb 

Follow Maya Rivers, an anxious human barista with a gift for latte art and a blog full of chaos, as she navigates life in the Umbrafore Complex: part supernatural stronghold, part magical mayhem zone.

——

One human barista. One supernatural fortress.

When Maya Rivers takes a job at Pulse, a coffee shop in the heart of the Umbrafore Complex, she expects busy shifts and maybe the occasional grumpy vampire.

What she doesn’t expect is accidentally stumbling into supernatural fame or being targeted by a serial killer with a flair for theatrics.

It’s hard to keep a low profile when you work alongside supernatural warriors who protect humanity from magical threats.

Join Maya as she blogs her way through the ups and downs as a human in a supernatural world.

  • Publication date: May 23, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 294 pages
  • Part of Series: Maya’s Blogs

Review:  Fated Blades (A Kinsmen story) by Ilona Andrews 

Rating: 4.5✨⭐️

Fated Blades comes into play after the wars, with some of the Kinsmen settled on a single planet, becoming divided between powerful antagonistic factions.

It seems I cannot stop reading anything by the authors known as Ilona Andrews.  I see it, and I must have. Same went for this book.

And I loved it, even though I haven’t read the whole series which gave the origin story of the Kinsmen.

This was intriguing in its entirety simply due to the plot and the characters. 

The idea of cheating spouses on this scale of power and antipathy bringing these highly dangerous enemies together for a common goal is immediately entertaining and engaging. 

Especially in the hands of these writers who make the reader believe in this universe and these two genetically engineered, highly complex and of superior abilities, characters who are deeply connected by a military background and painful past. 

Andrews 2 person perspective is perfectly suited for this quick paced, fast action thriller that also includes a powerful attraction romance that has to make sense to the reader. 

I’ll tell you now that it absolutely does. We believe in this relationship because both the characters are so well defined and the development towards a greater level of trust and belief in each other is believable and credible with the events and their personalities. 

There are other outstanding characters here that I would love to see more of and get additional stories about. Just one more of many I’m sure that readers are asking about from these authors. 

Their stories are like this. 

So enjoyable and vastly entertaining. A winner!

Cover design by Faceout Studio, Lindy Martin 

Cover illustration by Luisa J. Preißler

Part of The Kinsmen Universe

the Kinsmen Universe, which includes books 

KINSMEN

Silent Blade {Kinsmen Universe}
Silver Shark {Kinsmen Universe}
Fated Blades

,

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comFated Blades (Audible Audio Edition): Ilona Andrews, Aaron Shedlock, Brilliance Audio

Blurb 

An uneasy alliance between warring families gets heated in this otherworldly novella from bestselling author Ilona Andrews.

At first glance, the planet Rada seems like a lush paradise. But the ruling families, all boasting genetically enhanced abilities, are in constant competition for power—and none more so than the Adlers and the Baenas. For generations, the powerful families have pushed and pulled each other in a dance for dominance.

Until a catastrophic betrayal from within changes everything.

Now, deadly, disciplined, and solitary leaders Ramona Adler and Matias Baena must put aside their enmity and work together in secret to prevent sinister forces from exploiting universe-altering technology. Expecting to suffer through their uneasy alliance, Ramona and Matias instead discover that they understand each other as no one in their families can—and that their combined skills may eclipse the risks of their forbidden alliance.

As the two warriors risk their lives to save their families, they must decide whether to resist or embrace the passion simmering between them. For now, the dance between their families continues—but just one misstep could spell the end of them both.

  • Publication date: November 23, 2021
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 222 pages

Review:  One Fell Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles Book 3) by Ilona Andrews 

Rating: 5⭐️

This is absolutely one of my favorite series and yes, I’ve finished the what books have been released in this series to date. I’m just trying to get caught up on my reviews. 

This is just one more fabulous binge read series by the prolific (and truly amazing) husband and wife team known as Ilona Andrews.  One of three their series that have me hooked, including one that was just recently released. 

Special elements that really struck me and made this book so much more memorable is how the authors both managed to explore further into the universe and new planets as well as introduce the readers to Dina’s family members we haven’t met yet but have heard about. And have it happen in truly dramatic and exciting scenes. 

And it will set up a new couple and their own important storyline for a future book/series. 

And that’s not even the main plot line here. That’s one that focuses on a species that’s been hunted to the brink of extinction and it’s up to the Innkeepers and the Gertrude Hunt to save them all from those aliens hunting them. 

That’s the powerhouse of narrative themes and one that’s written beautifully here. It’s moving, poignant and compelling storytelling . 

Books and series like this is why I’m so reader focused on this writing couple.  I haven’t even finished their published books yet and they released another one I can’t stop thinking about. 

Yes, to this. Yes to all of this series. And finally, to all Ilona Andrews has written to date. Just go with it. 

Highly recommended. 

Note: love Doris Mantair for the fantastic cover and fantastic interior art.

Innkeeper Chronicles:

  • Clean Sweep #1
  • Sweep in Peace #2
  • One Fell Sweep #3
  • Sweep of the Blade #4
  • Sweep with Me #5
  • Sweep of the Heart #6

Buy link

        One Fell Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles Book 3)

    

Blurb 

Dina Demille may run the nicest Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, but she caters to a very particular kind of guest… the kind that no one on Earth is supposed to know about. Guests like a former intergalactic tyrant with an impressive bounty on her head, the Lord Marshal of a powerful vampire clan, and a displaced-and-superhot werewolf; so don’t stand too close, or you may be collateral damage. 

But what passes for Dina’s normal life is about to be thrown into chaos. First, she must rescue her long-distant older sister, Maud, who’s been exiled with her family to a planet that functions as the most lawless penal colony since Botany Bay. Then she agrees to help a guest whose last chance at saving his civilization could bring death and disaster to all Dina holds dear. Now Gertrude Hunt is under siege by a clan of assassins. To keep her guests safe and to find her missing parents, Dina will risk everything, even if she has to pay the ultimate price. Though Sean may have something to say about that!

  • Publisher: NYLA
  • Publication date: December 20, 2016
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 352 pages
  • Book 3 of 6: Innkeeper Chronicles

Review:  This Potion is da Bomb (The Case Files of Henri Davenforth Book 8) by Honor Raconteur 

Rating:  4.75✨⭐️

This was a highly entertaining and a grand new book in the series. As the first case for Jamie’s Queen’s Own agency, it’s an intriguing mystery.  It will take Jamie, Henri, and her crew of investigators that are quickly forming a core of friends as well, to new lands and new magical powers to explore. 

It expands into the growing relationships between Jamie and Henri, Sherold, and others around them both. And the adorable Felixes are in the mix too. 

The format of Henri’s notes, with different colored handwritten notations by others (Jamie, Sherold, Henri) are often funny, full of references and tiny emojis. I love it. 

Don’t miss Jamie’s ever growing list of new additions to this universe of “inventions” from her world, new discoveries. It expands from book to book. 

Highly recommended. Highly addictive. 

Love the covers. 

Cover by Katie Griffin

The Case Files of Henri Davenforth (11 book series to date):

Magic and the Shinigami Detective #1

Charms and Death and Explosions (oh my!) #2

Magic Outside the Box #3

Breaking and Entering 101 #4

Three Charms for Murder #5

Grimoires and Where to Find Them #6

Death Over the Garden Wall #7

This Potion is da Bomb #8

All In A Name #9

A Matter of Secrets and Spies #10

All Fun and Games #11

Buy link

        This Potion is da Bomb (The Case Files of Henri Davenforth Book 8)

    

Blurb 

Yay first Queen’s Own case! Yay first international case! Blowing people up with bombs, not so yay.

This is supposed to be a murder-suicide but the case smells. And not just because the dead potion maker lacks knowledge about the cure he supposedly created. Jamie’s got a smoking crater of an office (and body), a queen breathing down her neck, a witness clinging to life, and no answers.

One thing she knows for certain, however–this potion is a cure to die for.

Review: Clean Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles Book 1) by Ilona Andrews 

Rating: 4.5 ✨

Here’s another fantastic magical science fiction series from the married authors (Ilona and Andrew Gordon) known as Ilona Andrews. They have quickly become my favorite authors and a must read, with my bookshelf full of great books and series of theirs.

The Innkeeper Chronicles is a complete series,a true delight of worlds and characters.  It starts with Clean Sweep, a sentient inn in a small town in Texas where The Innkeeper, a actual galactic title associated with the house and its current owner is still getting herself established with her own Inn and her clients.

Dina Demille is the daughter of Innkeepers, her parents and their famous Inn mysteriously disappeared without a trace while Dina was in college and her siblings were away from home,far far away from home on other worlds.  After years of searching and no clues, Dina has followed in their footsteps and become an Innkeeper herself. 

Dina Demille is such a fabulously written character. She really stands out from the other characters in this genre of strong female characters in that she has her own unique history and challenges that she’s been working with.  She’s incredibly strong, quietly intelligent and able to be flexible with multiple personalities and situations while still being a relatable person. Full of emotions, a width and depth of experience that is only slowly revealed, Dina is a whole new level of main female character energy!

She’s also got a very strange monster tiny dog that is her companion, a sentient Inn that’s home and more, and a current client who’s a lifetime resident and galactic criminal. And a favorite character!

We get to know the backgrounds and histories for Dina and those around her through the drama that descends on the town. Monsters are killing the townspeople’s pets. 

It’s a fantastic storyline, we meet many important characters such as alpha werewolves and vampire royals. All beautifully crafted and supplied with a great history and dramatic backstory to tell.

This particular storyline is wrapped up completely and in a very satisfying way. But leaves the ending open for more adventures and further development for the three main characters and the group that is forming. 

Honestly, it’s enormously difficult to hold myself back from binging this all the way through like I did with the fabulous Kate Daniels series. 

Highly recommended!

Art by Doris Mantair 

Innkeeper Chronicles:

Clean Sweep #1

Sweep in Peace #2

One Fell Sweep #3

Sweep of the Blade #4

Sweep with Me #5

Sweep of the Heart #6

Buy link

        Clean Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles)

    

Blurb 

This is a short novel, about 60,000 words.

On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is…different: Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be a lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent guest is a retired Galactic aristocrat who can’t leave the grounds because she’s responsible for the deaths of millions and someone might shoot her on sight. Under the circumstances, “normal” is a bit of a stretch for Dina.

And now, something with wicked claws and deepwater teeth has begun to hunt at night…Feeling responsible for her neighbors, Dina decides to get involved. Before long, she has to juggle dealing with the annoyingly attractive, ex-military, new neighbor, Sean Evans—an alpha-strain werewolf—and the equally arresting cosmic vampire soldier, Arland, while trying to keep her inn and its guests safe. But the enemy she’s facing is unlike anything she’s ever encountered before. It’s smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything.

  • Publisher: NYLA
  • Publication date: December 2, 2013
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 250 pages
  • Book 1 of 6: Innkeeper Chronicles

Review: Death Over the Garden Wall (The Case Files of Henri Davenforth Book 7) by Honor Raconteur 

Rating:  4.75✨⭐️

I love Death Over the Garden Wall because it’s a bit different from the other cases Jamie and Henri have investigated. And it goes in a different direction than what I had originally imagined. 

There’s peril, plenty of magic, suspense and suspects to explore when the body of an old friend of Queen Regina’s is found washed up on shore after a tumultuous night with angry guests. At her cliffhanger of a house.

Jamie, Henri, some of her Kingsmen “ducklings “ and the Felix trio along with her other close associates/friends are there to help them investigate and solve the mystery. 

The chapter titles and handwritten “note” by different characters never fail to entertain me. I love how this is framed out by the author.

While this might not be the most compelling or difficult mystery to figure out, it’s engaging and totally one I was invested in. 

Another winner in a series full of outstanding writing. 

Highly recommended. Highly addictive. 

Love the covers. 

Cover by Katie Griffin

The Case Files of Henri Davenforth (11 book series to date):

Magic and the Shinigami Detective #1

Charms and Death and Explosions (oh my!) #2

Magic Outside the Box #3

Breaking and Entering 101 #4

Three Charms for Murder #5

Grimoires and Where to Find Them #6

Death Over the Garden Wall #7

This Potion is da Bomb #8

All In A Name #9

A Matter of Secrets and Spies #10

All Fun and Games #11

Buy link

        Death Over the Garden Wall (The Case Files of Henri Davenforth Book 7)

    

Blurb 

Three modus operandi to die. Four employees, six house guests, and not a single witness.

Confusing clues and no helpful leads cloud the death of Countess Giada Barese, who washed up on shore two weeks after her mysterious disappearance. Henri and Jamie have no idea if her death is a homicide, suicide, or accidental death, for nothing adds up.

There is something strange going on, though, Jamie’s sure of that. The countess was found wearing mismatched slippers, her lover disappeared the next day, and everyone is acting shifty.

Jamie feels like she’s playing a game of Clue, one she’s determined to win. Where’s a candlestick when you need one?

Review:  Three Charms for Murder (The Case Files of Henri Davenforth Book 5) by Honor Raconteur 

Rating: 5⭐️✨

Intriguing murder mystery, new adorable Felix’s, and a terrific insight into Henri’s thoughts and emotions on why he has been so thoughtful and slow in his courtship of Jamie.  And hers in return on why it was important for her to have the time to establish herself and continue to work on her trauma and transition before anything personal could occur. 

Depth of evolution of the characters and a highly intelligent investigation of this unusual, and for Henri, emotional case, make Three Charms for Murder  a fantastic read and engaging narrative full of action, magic, and fast paced storytelling. 

I love this so much!

Highly recommended. Highly addictive. 

Love the covers. 

Cover by Katie Griffin

The Case Files of Henri Davenforth (11 book series to date):

Magic and the Shinigami Detective #1

Charms and Death and Explosions (oh my!) #2

Magic Outside the Box #3

Breaking and Entering 101 #4

Three Charms for Murder #5

Grimoires and Where to Find Them #6

Death Over the Garden Wall #7

This Potion is da Bomb #8

All In A Name #9

A Matter of Secrets and Spies #10

All Fun and Games #11

Buy link

        Three Charms for Murder (The Case Files of Henri Davenforth Book 5)

    

Blurb 

It takes more than three charms to commit murder.

When an old childhood friend comes to Henri asking for help in solving his parents’ murders, Henri agrees immediately. He knows this case is not going to be easy. Mr. and Mrs. Atwood’s bodies had been found magically posed to mimic a statue, and the investigator in charge ruled it a murder-suicide. Which is simply not feasible according to the Atwood children.

Aware this is a high society case and all attention will be on them, the team makes their way out to the Atwoods’ vacation home. Upon arrival, Jamie and Henri are horrified to find most of the trace evidence destroyed by incompetence, the bodies unpreserved, and the case file a single page of notes. To top it all off, the local police force wants nothing more than to see them fail.

Add in a string of suspicious burglaries, compromised wards, arson, and a suspect who will do anything to keep the truth under wraps, and Jamie and Henri are ready to commit murder themselves.

Review:  Breaking and Entering 101 (The Case Files of Henri Davenforth Book 4) by Honor Raconteur 

Rating: 5⭐️✨

I really enjoyed Breaking and Entering 101 for a number of reasons. Obviously because I love the characters and series, they continue to develop and evolve in their respective roles, professionally as we see here as Kingsmen consultants, and personally as Jamie has consistently shown that she’s dedicated to her new world and found family. And they to her. 

There’s two distinct mysteries to solve here, both extremely important to undertake and each has its own unique quirks and skills required to succeed in understanding and investigating it. 

One is the theft of heavy gold ingots from a train car that’s locked and warded. Another, which introduces a favorite new character of mine, is a mystery of how the Royal palace (and its many incredible wards) is being constantly being surpassed by a trespasser who doesn’t do anything much but look around, sampling food and drinks. 

This brings in the wonderfully crafted Queen, the many Kingsmen familiar with Jamie, and those slowly becoming a part of Jamie and Henri’s (and RM Seaton as well as Felix Clint) inner circle.   

The time frame has moved by 2 years. That includes new “discoveries and inventions” Jamie has introduced via Ellie to this world. 

Don’t miss out on the additions by Jamie of her knowledge and comparisons at the end. It grows by each novel. 

Another must read in a must have series. 

Highly recommended. Highly addictive. 

Love the covers. 

Cover by Katie Griffin

The Case Files of Henri Davenforth (11 book series to date):

Magic and the Shinigami Detective #1

Charms and Death and Explosions (oh my!) #2

Magic Outside the Box #3

Breaking and Entering 101 #4

Three Charms for Murder #5

Grimoires and Where to Find Them #6

Death Over the Garden Wall #7

This Potion is da Bomb #8

All In A Name #9

A Matter of Secrets and Spies #10

All Fun and Games #11

Buy link

        Breaking and Entering 101 (The Case Files of Henri Davenforth Book 4)

    

Blurb 

Since Jamie and Henri agreed to be Kingsmen consultants, they’d not had much call to actually consult. Which is a fortuitous thing, as Henri is up to his neck in labwork and interviews for a new Magical Examiner due to Sanderson’s departing. He is hardly in any position to add more tasks onto his shoulders. 

Which, naturally, means two disasters strike at once. 

In a brilliant coup, a group of thieves have struck the railroad and stolen a breathtaking three hundred thousand crowns in gold. No one has any idea how, who, or where the ingots have gotten to. The Kingsmen on the case are baffled, as this is hardly their normal purview. They naturally reach out to their Kingsmen consultants, which mean Jamie and Henri are now on the week-old case. 

To spice things up further, someone is routinely sneaking through the palace wards and lurking about the grounds, and no one has any idea how the breach is occurring. Seaton’s beside himself trying to figure it out and Henri has been drawn in to assist him. 

As Jamie would say: When it rains, it pours.

Review:  Magic Outside the Box (The Case Files of Henri Davenforth Book 3) by Honor Raconteur 

Rating: 5⭐️✨

What a great mystery and story! Both sad, satisfying and it will be the story the propels an important element of this series into more development and exploration for Jamie and her closest friends. 

In addition, Royal Mage Sherard, now a close friend and colleague, is here, Clint the talking magical cat, and one of Jamie’s police ducklings, McSparrin, and she’s got Ellie the magician engineer, to soup up the engine of the cars she rides in to go 50 mph instead of 30!

Again, it’s a fantastic formula for a story. Henri is writing his cases but in such a way that the reader can see it published in the future. But his friends, Jamie and Sherard insert themselves into these pages via hilarious notes and even entire sections which he then smartly remarks upon. All in different colored ink. Black ink for Henri, blue ink for Jamie and green ink for Sherard. And if that sounds chaotic, it’s not. It’s remarkably clear whose voice it is and the emotionally tones carry through vividly.

Another sparkling performance from the author and characters. 

Fabulous!

Highly recommended. Highly addictive. 

Love the covers. 

Cover by Katie Griffin

The Case Files of Henri Davenforth (11 book series to date):

Magic and the Shinigami Detective #1

Charms and Death and Explosions (oh my!) #2

Magic Outside the Box #3

Breaking and Entering 101 #4

Three Charms for Murder #5

Grimoires and Where to Find Them #6

Death Over the Garden Wall #7

This Potion is da Bomb #8

All In A Name #9

A Matter of Secrets and Spies #10

All Fun and Games #11

Buy link

        Magic Outside the Box (The Case Files of Henri Davenforth Book 3)

    

Blurb 

Henri is quite accustomed to dangerous and unusual cases landing in his lap. Being partnered to the Shinigami Detective likely has something to do with it. What he is NOT accustomed to is the queen herself marching into his lab and handing them such a case. 

Former Royal Mage Joseph Burtchell was found dead in his home, all signs pointing to murder. However, it’s in question as to how the murderer accomplished the deed—the house was locked, the wards fully up, and the body bearing a peculiar wound.

It’s a locked room mystery, one with a suspiciously absent murder weapon and lack of suspects. Henri’s left baffled. Jamie’s excited, relishing the challenge the case represents. 

Who’s powerful enough to thwart a royal mage’s wards and murder him undetected?