Review: DEATH BY SILVER, by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold

Somehow I missed Death by Silver, by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold, when it was published in 2013, even though I'm a longtime fan of Scott (Mighty Good Road, the Point of Hopes series with Lisa A. Barnett, and the Order of the Air series with Jo Graham). Luckily, the book came to my attention again via its reissue by Queen of Swords Press. I started it last night and finished it this morning, and I enjoyed it so much that I'm postponing the start of my freelance editing workday to write this review on the book's new release date.

Death by Silver is a mystery and m/m romance set in a low-magic version of Edwardian England. Most of the magic encountered consists of charms and conveniences, but there are also curses, such as the lethal hex on the silver candlestick referred to in the title (as shown in the second chapter). 

Here's an excerpt from that chapter: http://donsakers.com/scott/node/99

The narrative viewpoint shifts between the two protagonists, metaphysician Ned Mathey and detective Julian Lynes. They are on-again, off-again lovers at the start of the action; back in school, they had tried to shield each other from the viciously bullying prefects, but various factors, including some thoughtless actions and neglects, have precluded any commitment.

The father of one of those school bullies, apparently unaware of past grudges, hires Ned to check out a curse on his family silver. That client is dead by the second chapter, and his son Victor (the worst of the bullies, who thinks their shared history is well behind them) rehires Ned to investigate the murder. Ned convinces Julian that they need to investigate, despite their reluctance to be involved, because unchecked murderers tend to keep on killing innocents, in addition to people who may have deserved it.

So we learn a lot more about the household: the other two sons, Victor's wife, and Victor's mother, along with the servants and a reverend whose charity the mother patronizes. As the investigation expands, we meet many other people, from policemen to gentlemen in clubs to some of denizens of the poorer quarters of London.

I particularly like the characterizations in this book. Many of the side characters have their own personalities and perspectives, sketched out briefly, perhaps, but convincingly, from a burglar's wife to a grumbling landlady. This London feels like a real place filled with real people, not just a stage for the protagonists.

I am also ridiculously charmed by the tiny worldbuilding detail of a carnivorous seedling that invades Julian's quarters due to his carelessness, but ends up being a kind of pet plant that Ned feeds ham slivers. I hope to see it again in the sequel.

The mystery is well executed, with a fair number of red herrings but a convincing conclusion. The romance also resolves in a very satisfying way. Clearly, this book will become one of my comfort reads. I enthusiastically recommend it.

Content Warnings: 

• flashbacks to sadistic bullying incidents at school
• murders 
• fights
• sex scenes that discreetly fade to black

Comparisons: K.J. Charles' Spectred Isle and C.L. Polk's Witchmark, although both have stronger magical elements than this.

Disclaimer: I received a free review ebook from the publisher, which is why I was able to start it last night, before the release date, and finish it this morning. But Death by Silver ought to fit most budgets, at $6.99 for the ebook and $16.99 for the paperback. Queen of Swords Press will reissue the sequel, A Death at the Dionysus Club, in December.