Antonio Urias

This is an enjoyable prequel novelette, and it did its job: it got me interested in the full-length novel in the series. (Irons in the Fire was published first, but the events in this prequel happen as a lead-up to that novel.) There were some things that I found interesting about the worldbuilding — like the bird-faced faeries or the merfolk living in the river — and wanted to know more about, but since they weren't relevant to the plot of this story, I didn't get to find out more. Also, while I liked the characters when we first met them at the beginning of the story, I was less sure I still liked any of them by the time the story finished. Still, this was an enjoyable read.… (mer)

I picked this one up last year when it was offered as a kindle freebie. I'm glad I did, because it ended up being one of those rare good kindle freebies.

Set in San Francisco during the late 1800's, the book centers around Theodore Atwood, a down-on-his-luck newspaper reporter working to come up with a sensational story in order to try to save the newspaper he works for. Bodies begin being found around the bay in batches, all of whom are missing their internal organs. Atwood begins investigating and is soon set on a course fraught with danger and all sorts of shady characters.

I did find the beginning a bit slow, but once it finally got going I was hooked. I had kind of sussed out just what the alchemist in the attic was up to, but even then, I didn't have it right on, and still ended up being surprised.

The book ended at 94%, and the rest was a two chapter preview of the first in a series he's writing. I liked it well enough to download the free prequel novella.… (mer)