This is a competently written mystery with good characters, rendered compassionately. The main protagonist is a flawed war hero who is a pragmatist on her way to an assignment in another city when she receives orders to make a detour to investigate a suspicious death in the provinces.
Apart from the tendency on the part of the author to go for the easy option with word choices in setting and environment (druwyd, Haenlein, two different secondary characters named Alina, Bergen/krona), the characterizations and world building are quite well done. The narrative is technically very good with a well defined, smooth tension arc and a satisfying denouement. There aren't a lot of surprises, but the book is mostly character driven, so seeing their development made it a satisfying read. I was sometimes confused by the abrupt appearance and rapid disappearance of a number of secondary characters (Maritta) and plot threads, but I am willing to see if the disparate threads are picked up later. I appreciated the positive (not overemphasized) depiction of LGBTQA+ characters. That being said, this volume is refreshingly free of overt romance and there's no graphic sexual content. There's one threatened sexual assault against the MC, but she dispatches the mob with aplomb. The language is quite clean and there's nothing scandalous. I loved the airships. Everyone loves the airships.
I enjoyed reading the book very much and look forward to seeing more in the series. There's apparently an anthology of short fiction at least one of which is set in the same world as this one.
Four stars. Well written steampunk murder mystery. (Airships!)
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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