Death By Silver

This is a solid mystery within an alternate universe in which magic is a known thing throughout society. The rules of magic within this world can be vaguely specific – not unlike listening to extended discussions of advanced math when you are not very good at math – but… it is a unique what-if that is just as valid as the stories in which magic is simply a wave of a wand with focused intention. Why can’t be magic be more akin to algebra?

The angst of the two male characters didn’t always quite capture how men’s brains work (imagine a talented male writer describing how a lesbian’s mind works… it might be in the ballpark, but not a home run.) It’s distracting when these reveries slightly miss the mark, but not fatal to the storytelling. It would likely bother male readers more than female readers.

I was frustrated with main characters were consistently blind to whodunnit, despite it being readily apparent to the reader early on. Our heroes begin to feel remarkably dim and the authors’ choice to keep them stupid is maddening. But fortunately the story is more complex than simply establishing whodunnit. The world building is interesting. And Ned’s secretary, Miss Worth, deserves a book of her own. Arguably, she is the most interesting character in the books. Overall, Death By Silver is worth checking out if you like magical mysteries in alternative timelines.

I’ve also read the sequel Death at the Dionysus Club. I have complicated feelings about the sheer number of characters who aren’t sufficiently developed in this second mystery. It makes the ending less than satisfying when the villain is more name than character. The suspects would have benefitted from a bit more story time. Also the magic gets particularly arbitrary (the object can open windows but not open doors, but then apparently can teleport, then why does it leave open windows? The messy rules dilute what should have been a satisfying ending.)  The sequel’s sexual specifics get a bit more… specific than the first book, but still tends to fade to black instead of leading to graphic sex scenes. This one may push towards a 3.5 on the steam meter. I can’t exactly recommend the sequel, but if you like the first one, you will probably like the second book. It didn’t need to be so lacking in clarity… so it was frustrating to finish. It could have been great. There is much that is engaging and the mystery is a good one. Not as obvious as the solution in book 1.

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