A Murder of Mages

By Marshall Ryan Maresca

The first book of the Maradaine Constabulary series blends high fantasy, murder mystery, and gritty urban magic...

Marking the debut of the second series set amid the bustling streets and crime-ridden districts of the exotic city called Maradaine, A Murder of Mages introduces us to this spellbinding port city as seen through the eyes of the people who strive to maintain law and order: the hardworking men and women of the Maradaine Constabulary.
 
Satrine Rainey—former street rat, ex-spy, mother of two, and wife to a Constabulary Inspector who lies on the edge of death, injured in the line of duty—has been forced to fake her way into the post of Constabulary Inspector to support her family.
 
Minox Welling is a brilliant, unorthodox Inspector and an Uncircled mage—almost a crime in itself. Nicknamed “the jinx” because of the misfortunes that seem to befall anyone around him, Minox has been partnered with Satrine because no one else will work with either of them.
 
Their first case together—the ritual murder of a Circled mage— sends Satrine back to the streets she grew up on and brings Minox face-to-face with mage politics he’s desperate to avoid. As the body count rises, Satrine and Minox must race to catch the killer before their own secrets are exposed and they, too, become targets.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jul 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9780698180109

Marshall Ryan Maresca

Marshall Ryan Maresca is a fantasy and science-fiction writer, author of the Maradaine Saga: Four braided series set amid the bustling streets and crime-ridden districts of the exotic city called Maradaine, which includes The Thorn of Dentonhill, A Murder of Mages, The Holver Alley Crew and The Way of the Shield, as well as the dieselpunk fantasy, The Velocity of Revolution. He is also the co-host of the Hugo-nominated, Stabby-winning podcast Worldbuilding for Masochists, and has been a playwright, an actor, a delivery driver and an amateur chef. He lives in Austin, Texas with his family.

Reviews for A Murder of Mages

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very rich and complex. The puzzle wasn't solvable with the info we-the-readers had, and Minox is slightly annoying with his perception thing (I dislike know-it-all detectives) - but he doesn't push it to Sherlock Holmes levels, and he does admit he doesn't know, and needs to know, several things. Satrine is a very interesting person - so many layers to who she is. Street girl, Intelligence, stick's wife, wife and mother, smart, determined...it's odd that she's the only one willing to engage with Minox's deductions, she doesn't seem to be extraordinary in that way. But they make a very good pair. I'm glad to see the captain saw her value - I suspect that's what he'd intended earlier too (when the commissioner came). And a nice hint of hope to end the story. I hope there's more - apparently there is more in this world, but I want to see Minox and Satrine again.

[2wondery_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good solid story with interesting and complex characters.

[tldegray-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Satrine Rainey is a street kid, a princess, a spy, a near-widow with a family to support, and now an Inspector Third Class in the Constabulary. And a liar. A big liar whose family depends on nobody finding out the truth. She's partnered with Minox Welling, an investigator from a family of public servants who almost never considers a case closed. Their first case together is a dead mage, a case that could spark another mage war if it isn't handled fast.

This whole D&D-Cops subgenre is one I really enjoy, so there's no way I was going to resist this book. Maradaine is a lively city populated with believable characters, including Minox's sprawling family and a few people from Satrine's past. I liked the mystery, though I did figure out whodunnit (but not why or how) before the ending. There's also a huge mystery running beneath all of this and you can see the author slowly making connections for you both along with the characters discovering those connections, and layering some through more subtly for only the reader to pick up on.

There were some interesting things here aside from the mystery, like how and if people can change, gender politics and discrimination, class issues. There are also some absolutely great friendships and budding friendships in this book that were a pleasure to read. I very much enjoyed Minox and Joshea (I ship it), Satrine and her landlady, and any time Satrine interacted with someone from her past.

Satrine's Inspector husband was at the docks investigating the dog-children fighting ring, wasn't he? And he was beaten to almost dead but very carefully not killed just unable to communicate by the constables who were part of it. Is this where the reporter's son went? What about the missing girls? And the dead assassins? I'm really excited to have some of these questions answered in a future book.

[I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.]

[altheaann · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lately, Satrine Rainey has been a stay-at-home mom. However, life has catapulted her into an untenable situation. Her husband, a police officer of the city of Maradaine's Constabulary, has suffered an on-the-job injury leaving him severely disabled. Unfortunately, while Maradaine offers something like life insurance, disability insurance isn't a thing.

The force has offered Satrine a 'minimum-wage' clerk's position - but that won't pay for the family's rent and grocery bills, let alone the full-time caretaker her husband now needs, or her two daughters' tuition fees. Satrine comes up with an audacious solution: she'll lie and bluff her way into a full-time Inspector's position on the force. Satrine's former career as a spy aids her in this endeavor.

Just as she takes her new desk, and meets her new partner - a man ominously nicknamed 'The Jinx' - a new case comes across their messy desk. A mage has been murdered, in a particularly gruesome way which hints at magical ritual. And soon, it looks like they have a serial killer on their hands.

Solving the case may be the only hope Satrine has at proving herself and making it past her probationary period. It also may be the only way to save a great many lives.

The book is very much a genre mystery with a fantasy setting. It's more of a 'follow-the-action' than a 'keep track and figure out the clues' mystery, but I'm fine with that. It moves along quickly, has likable and appealing characters, and is overall, great fun. I'd definitely read the sequels!

Many thanks to NetGalley and DAW for the opportunity to read this book, which I'd heard good things about. As always, my opinion is solely my own.

[stefferoo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A Murder of Mages is the first book of a series dedicated to the Maradaine Constabulary, set in the same wonderful world as Marshall Ryan Maresca’s debut novel The Thorn of Dentonhill. No need to read one before the other, though; that’s the beauty of it. Despite their shared setting, the series are companions to one another, each featuring separate stories and starring completely different characters. And having read both books now, I can say they are both equally great. However, A Murder of Mages might have just the slightest itty-bitty edge here, since I admit a penchant for detective stories, not to mention a super soft spot for lady cops. One of the main protagonists is Satrine Rainey – a wife, a mother of two, and a former street rat and ex-spy. After her constable husband suffers a grave injury in the line of duty, it is up to Satrine to figure out a way to support and care for the family. Using her skills, she is able to fake her way into the Maradaine Constabulary to land herself a job as an Inspector third class, where she is promptly paired up with another inspector who no one wanted to partner with – Minox Welling, an Uncircled mage nicknamed Jinx because his past partners have all met with unfortunate accidents.Her first day on the job, Satrine is sent out with Minox to the streets where she grew up to investigate the body of a mage found in an alley, staked to the ground with his heart cut out. When more victims of these ritual murders are discovered, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues as the inspectors race against time to track down the elusive killer. Once again, the author is able to create something altogether unique and fresh by adding his own twist to a familiar idea like the male and female crime-solving duo. I enjoyed the dynamics in the relationship between Satrine and Minox, especially since we know right off the bat that it will be a platonic one. The narrative makes it clear that Satrine has a disabled husband at home who she is deeply devoted to, which in and of itself is an intriguing albeit heartbreaking element to throw into the mix. Satrine is genuinely one of the most fascinating characters I’ve ever met. Without overwhelming us with details, Maresca gives us a glimpse into her rough childhood as a street urchin. After she was recruited by the Druth Intelligence and doing her stint as a spy, Satrine met and married Loren Rainey and they had two daughters. In light of the devastating accident that leaves Satrine as the sole provider and caregiver for her husband and their girls, I really couldn’t blame her for deceiving the Constabulary to get her job under false pretenses. A mother wants the best for her children, and in Satrine’s case she wanted to give Rian and Caribet a good life and a good education, the sort of opportunities Satrine could only dream about when she was their age. It’s hard to fault her for those sentiments. I didn’t get as deep of a feel for Minox Welling, but he’s a great character as well. Mages are a complex class in these Maradaine novels, as evidenced by the protagonist of Maresca’s first novel The Thorn of Dentonhill. Through Minox the reader was able to get a better feel for how mages fit in this society. Uncircled mages like him appear to be treated with disdain (you’re either a failure, in hiding, or a late-bloomer – none of which are good to be) and even Circled mages seem feared and distrusted by the local populace. Having a child who is a mage is even a source of shame for some families. Having two series in tandem is certainly a remarkable way to build a world, but it is also very effective. Despite not being a sequel or even a follow up to The Thorn of Dentonhill, A Murder of Mages added a lot to what we know of Maradaine, providing a look at the everyday hustle and bustle of its citizenry from all walks of life. Marshall Ryan Maresca has a true knack for creating rich settings as well as characters that feel very real and well-rounded. There’s always something special to the people he writes about, whether they are mage students or constable inspectors. A Murder of Mages was another hit for me, a fantastic read from a new talent whose star continues to be on the rise.