“All right. I will investigate with you. Because you seem to view us as human beings, and I have not seen another Elsiran do the same. And also because…”
“Because what?”
“Because you’re going to need my help.” Darvyn grinned.
Jack shook his head. This was definitely a bad idea.”
Jack’s obviously very young in this story and, while he seems willing to treat the Lagrimari as people (unlike the rest of the Elsiran population), he’s still somewhat naively confused as to why they’d prefer living in squalor as refugees in Elsira instead of going back to Lagrimar. The story starts with him attempting to ease tensions between the townspeople, the soldiers at the nearby base, and the refugees but soon takes a turn when a refugee is found murdered. Besides the setting – and some temper-induced Earthsinging from Darvyn – there’s really very little magic or fantasy involved in the mystery, though there are some tantalizing worldbuilding hints. Darvyn seems confused that Jack can speak the Lagrimari tongue, explaining that it’s only meant for Singers. It’s also the first time Jack finds out about the Keepers and others working from within Lagrimar against the True Father.
The mystery itself is fine. It’s got all the traditional elements – interviewing the suspects, sorting through red herrings, and even the final “bring all the suspects together” accusation scene. I figured out pretty quickly who the murderer was but still enjoyed the process, mostly because of Darvyn’s hilarious crankiness.
Overall, this was a quick read and a nice setup for the next book, which stars Darvyn.