WWW.PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COM 59Review_FICTION
Mesa Verde Victim:
A National Park Mystery
Scott Graham. Torrey House, $15.95 trade
paper (220p) ISBN 978-1-948814-23-2
Graham’s pleasing fifth National Park
mystery (after 2019’s Arches Enemy) opens
in 1891 Mesa Verde, Colo., where a
Swedish explorer has been engaging in an
unauthorized dig and a 16-year-old boy
working for the Swede is murdered and
buried by the killer at the dig site. In the
present, archeologist Chuck Bender’s
longtime friend and dig partner, Barney
Keller, is found shot to death in the alley
behind Chuck’s house in Durango, Colo.
The only clue is an old postcard in
Barney’s hand that was stolen from
Chuck’s personal files. Chuck and his
family, including his wife, two teenage
stepdaughters, and brother-in-law, wind
up embarking on a hike through dan-
gerous terrain in search of Barney’s
killer. The discovery of a body ties the
story of the 1891 murder to a 21st-cen-
tury quest for valuable Native American
artifacts. Agreeable characters and an
easy-to-follow plot are enhanced by
beautiful landscape descriptions and
intriguing local lore. Fans of straightfor-
ward regional mysteries will be rewarded.
(June)
Deadly Primrose
Suzette A. Hill. Severn, $28.99 (224p)
ISBN 978-0-7278-9041-2
In British author Hill’s jaunty seventh
mystery set in 1950s Surrey (after 2016’s
The Primrose Pursuit), artist Primrose
Oughterard, the late vicar’s sister, hears
upon returning to Lewes from a refreshing
trip abroad that Elspeth Travers drowned
in the sea. Primrose is immediately suspi-
cious, because Elspeth was known to go
“all green and peculiar” at the mere men-
tion of the word sea. That the deceased
was wearing a
fanciful pink
floral bathing
cap—a style
Elspeth
intensely dis-
liked—is proof
positive that
her death was
no accident. “I
intend pursuing
this,” Primrose
vows. “With so much incompetence about
one feels compelled to take the initiative
occasionally.” The multiple points of view
capture the cadence and vocabulary of
English voices, which include dotty
upper-class Englishwomen, a plodding
police detective, and “the best slippery
art dealer on the south coast.” Even
Primrose’s pets, Bouncer the dog and
Maurice the cat, comment amusingly on
the developments in the case. Those in
the mood for silly fun will be delighted.
Agent: Jane Conway-Gordon, Jane Conway-
Gordon Ltd. (U.K.). (June)SF/Fantasy/Horror
The First Sister
Linden A. Lewis. Skybound, $26 (352p)
ISBN 978-1-982126-99-5
Lewis introduces readers to a universe
at war in this competent far-future debut.
The technocratic, decadent Icarii and the
stoic, nature-worshipping Geans have
long been in
conflict. When
a nameless
priestess is
abandoned by
the man she
thought would
save her from
life as a sex slave
aboard a Gean
warship, she
fights to retain
her position as First Sister, the captain’s
favorite, so that she does not have to
submit to the rest of the crew. But the
new captain is difficult to get a read on.
Meanwhile, the Icarii military assigns
duelist Lito sol Lucius to track down his
former partner who has gone missing and
is presumed to have defected mid-mis-
sion. Both the priestess and Lucius are
plunged into a world of political intrigue
and they are forced to question their alle-
giances as their separate goals pull them
toward an explosive final encounter.
Despite a bit of clunky exposition early
on, Lewis skillfully handles the tale’s
many moving pieces, maintaining pace,
nuance, and clarity throughout. Lewis’s
lush prose creates an immersive, richly
textured world with complex social
dynamics and solid LGBTQ and multi-cultural representation. Though the polit-
ical through line will put readers in mind
of many other SF offerings, including
James S.A. Corey’s Expanse series, the
familiar beats are well executed. This fast,
fun military thriller will satisfy genre
fans. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, ICM
Partners. (Aug.)The Vanished Queen
Lisbeth Campbell. Saga, $27.99 (496p)
ISBN 978-1-982141-29-5
Campbell skillfully balances action and
introspection as rebellion rises against an
oppressive regime in this promising epic
fantasy debut. The city of Karegg is under
the control of the brutal King Karolje.
When college
student Anza
breaks into one
of the libraries
that Karolje has
ordered closed,
she discovers
the journal of
Mirantha, the
former queen
who Karolje
had disap-
peared. After Anza’s father is executed
for unknown reasons, Anza joins the
resistance movement against Karolje,
inspired, in part, by reading Mirantha’s
tale. Anza is arrested for her involve-
ment with the movement and interro-
gated by Esvar, one of Karolje’s sons,
who, along with his brother, Tevin, plots
to overthrow his father, but fears a lack
of support among the nobility. Anza is
released, and she, Esvar, and Sparrow,
the mysterious leader of the resistance,
come together to put an end to Karolje’s
tyranny. By situating Anza within a
larger resistance movement, Campbell
steers refreshingly clear of typical “chosen
one” tropes, instead illuminating the col-
lective effort required for revolution while
drawing pointed parallels to the current
U.S. political climate. This competent,
character-driven debut may not be
splashy, but it is solid. Agent: Bridget
Smith, Dunham Literary. (Aug.)Quantum Shadows
L.E. Modesitt Jr. Tor, $27.99 (304p) ISBN 978-
1-250-22920-5
Modesitt (the Saga of Recluce series)