Silver Mirrors

Janus Mikani and Celeste Ritsuko, inspectors from the Criminal Investigation Division of a fantastical alternate Britain, managed to survive their last case (as detailed in Bronze Gods), but the cost is a plague of elementals run amok. As a mastermind hides in plain sight, possessed machines rampage, and pirates form a grand alliance, Ritsuko and Mikani unravel a conspiracy of silence, a dreadful secret underpinning the economy, and an unforgivable crime whose victims may claim the lives of every human in recompense. Spouses Ann and Andre Aguirre don’t hesitate to introduce elements whose resolution forces dramatic, irreversible changes on both the setting and the two protagonists. The story catapults the leads toward unexpected existential threats, requiring them to come to terms with shifts in their own relationship before it is too late. The solid mix of police procedural and magical adventure will satisfy urban fantasy fans. (May)