A Murder of Mages

The first book of the Maradaine Constabulary series blends high fantasy, murder mystery, and gritty urban magic...

Marking the debut of the second series set amid the bustling streets and crime-ridden districts of the exotic city called Maradaine, A Murder of Mages introduces us to this spellbinding port city as seen through the eyes of the people who strive to maintain law and order: the hardworking men and women of the Maradaine Constabulary.

Satrine Rainey--former street rat, ex-spy, mother of two, and wife to a Constabulary Inspector who lies on the edge of death, injured in the line of duty--has been forced to fake her way into the post of Constabulary Inspector to support her family.

Minox Welling is a brilliant, unorthodox Inspector and an Uncircled mage--almost a crime in itself. Nicknamed "the jinx" because of the misfortunes that seem to befall anyone around him, Minox has been partnered with Satrine because no one else will work with either of them.

Their first case together--the ritual murder of a Circled mage-- sends Satrine back to the streets she grew up on and brings Minox face-to-face with mage politics he's desperate to avoid. As the body count rises, Satrine and Minox must race to catch the killer before their own secrets are exposed and they, too, become targets.

Marshall Ryan Maresca grew up in upstate New York and studied film and video production at Penn State. He now lives Austin with his wife and son. His work appeared in Norton Anthology of Hint Fiction and Rick Klaw’s anthology Rayguns Over Texas. He also has had several short plays produced and has worked as a stage actor, a theatrical director and an amateur chef. His novels The Thorn of Dentonhill and A Murder of Mages each begin their own fantasy series, both set in the port city of Maradaine. For more information, visit Marshall’s website at www.mrmaresca.com.