The hero of this novel is Ethan Kaille, who uses his magical talents to solve robberies but never murder - at least until this time. The unexplained death of a beautiful young woman from a wealthy family draws him into a murder case at the parents' request. When he examines the body he finds no physical cause of death. At this point he realizes she died of a killing spell, used only by those seeking the strongest of powers - that of evil. At the same time, he has competition that doesn't appreciate his working for a wealthy family. She has her gang give him a beating more than once to emphasize the point and robs him of all his coin. Dodging her ire, he encounters increasingly strong spells manifested by a small girl.
Ethan's own magic is facilitated by a ghost who appears as a knight. In addition, he uses grass, herbs and blood to fuel spells. This is well written story climaxes as Ethan duels with a conjurer whose powers are much greater than his own. The encounter almost leads to his death. The enemy conjurer is an unexpected individual working for England while posing as a supporter of the new country's tea party. His power manifested through this small girl is wielded so skillfully it usually nullifies Ethan's spells.
Most of the characters seem like people I know - some timid, some bold and some manipulative. The rarer characters seem just as real. Personalities are much like those in any societal group. Some major characters such as Samuel Adams are familiar to most readers.
Thieftaker is defined by the author as historical fantasy which made it very good in my estimation. There were no thieftakers in Boston in 1765 although they were emerging in England. This story flows quickly and the plot thickens in unexpected ways. And, one must not the wonderful writing.
Ethan's own magic is facilitated by a ghost who appears as a knight. In addition, he uses grass, herbs and blood to fuel spells. This is well written story climaxes as Ethan duels with a conjurer whose powers are much greater than his own. The encounter almost leads to his death. The enemy conjurer is an unexpected individual working for England while posing as a supporter of the new country's tea party. His power manifested through this small girl is wielded so skillfully it usually nullifies Ethan's spells.
Most of the characters seem like people I know - some timid, some bold and some manipulative. The rarer characters seem just as real. Personalities are much like those in any societal group. Some major characters such as Samuel Adams are familiar to most readers.
Thieftaker is defined by the author as historical fantasy which made it very good in my estimation. There were no thieftakers in Boston in 1765 although they were emerging in England. This story flows quickly and the plot thickens in unexpected ways. And, one must not the wonderful writing.
