Kindle Edition Download from Smashwords (eBook) Amazon C.M.J. Wallace Category:  Fantasy Type: Fiction Pages: 433 Copyright: Oct 21, 2012 ISBN-13: 9780985914004 Price: $3.99 (eBook) A cold-blooded killer lusts for others' magic; a drug-addicted detective vows to thwart him. Dragged into a dangerous homicide investigation, Andrin Sethuel alone stands between the killer's murderous desires and his future victims' salvation, a kingdom's freedom and its enslavement. A cold-blooded killer lusts for others' magic. A drug-addicted detective vows to thwart him. Dragged into a dangerous homicide investigation, Andrin Sethuel alone stands between the killer's murderous desires and his future victims' salvation, a kingdom's freedom and its enslavement. Andrin has survived a childhood that should have destroyed him. Slavers brutally murdered his parents in front of him, ripped him away from everything he knew, and addicted him to drugs. The aftermath leaves him warring against hostility, prejudice, and suspicion on every front. And it leaves him entrenched in self-loathing. But despite the odds, he becomes head of the Torvian kingdom's criminal investigative forces. Andrin speculates that the killer scythes magic from his victims to reap power and augment his burgeoning might, but such a capability is unthinkable. And wielding spells without a catalyst should be impossible. Yet irrefutably, the killer is wrenching his victims' craft away with his own unimaginable sorcery, growing more powerful and treacherous with each successive murder. While Andrin struggles to expose the murderer and his search for the killer turns into a fight for his life, lies and duplicity threaten to rip his only friend from him--and she's keeping a secret that could be the key to solving the murders. Andrin is forced to choose between his friend and his duty, and ultimately between his king and a betrayal that will save his country from a ruthless conqueror's invasion.

Sing the Midnight Stars
Wow! A fascinating world and excellent writing. A joy for anyone looking for an intelligent and unique fantasy story.

Andrin Sethuel is a drug addicted police detective of the highest rank in a country where almost everyone has access to magic bound up in "stone and sigil". Already the story was intriguing and within the first few pages you are introduced to a collection of truly interesting characters.

Andrin and the mad king are brilliantly crafted while most of the other characters easily carry the weight of the story and its unique setting. Even Elarin and the queen have plenty of room to develop in interesting ways over the next three books.

The setting—essentially a single city, though we gain plenty of glimpses of other parts of the world—avoids many of the cliches of fantasy. It is an early enlightenment setting rather than the traditional medieval one. The city is distinct enough from any other fantasy city I have come across. And the magic systems are inspired (although astromancy does call to mind Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince and Dragon Star series).

What sets this book apart from so many others is the intrigue… and there is shiploads of it in this book. By the end of the book there is a three way war brewing, the Aluian Killer remains elusive (but could it be… ah, but no spoilers), the Rift has its own agenda, and the layers of intrigue spread over the book like blankets on a cold winter's night.

At the end of this book we, the readers, know almost nothing more than most of the characters. Sure, we have hints, and lots of them, but knowledge for everyone inside and out of the book is severely limited. All of this intrigue is combined with plenty of action and suspense.

If you want a light piece of fantasy fluff, then this book is not for you! If you are looking for a unique and intriguing book that will keep you reading from beginning to end with the promise of much more to come, then dive into 'Sing the Midnight Stars' and enjoy.