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Title: Limelight
Series: Arcane Casebook #5
Author: Dan Willis
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 319
Words: 106.5K
Series: Arcane Casebook #5
Author: Dan Willis
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 319
Words: 106.5K
Synopsis:
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Alex
Lockerby is doing well. Business is booming, his clientelle are a lot
richer and even the police are giving him a modicum of respect (of
course, that might have more to do with Alex being on a first name
basis with several of the Sorcerer Six).
A
Murder Mystery author dies and Alex's mentor wants him to investigate
as he believes it was murder. This leads into Alex investigating an
old case from over 10 years ago about a beautiful stage actress who
died on stage but no one was ever convicted. Alex gets his friend
Danny Pak assigned to the case, with an understanding from the
Captain that if Danny can solve this case, he'll be promoted to
Captain himself. As long as Alex stays in the background.
At
the same time, Alex gets dragged into another police case, where Rune
Wrights are apparently using runes to blow holes in walls and rob
bank vaults. From all that Alex knows, this is impossible. But if
something IS happening, then it isn't impossible and it's up to Alex
as the cities top Rune Wright to figure out what is going on.
Then
some inexplicable deaths start happening throughout the city, all of
them magic related. In each case, it would appear that the victim had
no magical power but died from using magic that went out of control.
Alex teams up with Sorsha Kincaid and tracks it down to a substance
called Limelight, which seems to give non-magic users magic and to
enhance those with the ability already.
And
if that is not enough, Alex still has to worry about his new
secretary. What is her agenda and is she working for Moriarty, Legion
or some other unknown?
If
that isn't enough, by the end of the book we find out another Rune
Wright has figured out how to turn electricity into magical power.
He's also figured out how to transfer said power to himself. With the
city's generators at his power, he can become the most powerful
Sorcerer the world has ever known.
In
the end Danny solves his case, Limelight ties together Alex's cases,
the mad Rune Wright is stopped and the secretary is revealed to be a
3000 year old high priestess. Oh, and Alex is prophecied to be the
greatest Rune Wright to ever have lived and possibly be King of All
Magic.
My
Thoughts:
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I really enjoyed this story so while my review might be a tad more
critical than the previous Arcane Casebook reviews, please do keep
that in mind.
First concern is that Alex is exactly the same as he was in the first
book. Now, that could very well be deliberate, as that can be a
character type (look at most of the old school noir detectives and
even a character like Garrett that Glen Cook writes). Depending on
your taste, this will be a bigger or smaller thing. For me, it was a
small thing but noticeable. I think I noticed it more because we're
up to book 5?
Secondly, the ramping up of threats and potential. The threat was
seriously ramped up in the previous book when Moriarty reveals that
another World War is coming and that groups like Legion are already
preparing for it. Here, Alex's potential as The King of Games,
errrrr, I mean, Master of Magic is revealed.
I can't articulate why this kind of thing is a burr under my
saddle but power creep definitely bothers me. Personally, I'd rather
Alex have stayed a lower powered Rune Wright and for the author to
tell more detective stories than for this world threat to happen.
I do enjoy the mysteries. It is just fun to watch the twists and
turns and little sidesteps that happen. I must admit that it is
exhausting to keep 3 to 5 different balls in the air and usually by
the end of the book I'm ready for some of the special coffee that
Alex drinks so much of.
The cover continues to be as fantastic as ever. This time I looked
and it is done by someone named Mihaela Voicu. She appears to be a
digital artist and I found a bit of her stuff on her facebook page.
Probably going to be a shoe-in for July's Cover Love.
Still highly recommend this series if you feel in the need for a dose
of Noir'ish Urban Fantasy Mystery! :-D
★★★★☆
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