2018 Reads: Detective Strongoak and the Case of the Dead Elf

An interesting spin on both the private eye novel and "post-Tolkien" fantasy kingdom tale (with a dash of steampunk), Detective Strongoak and the Case of the Dead Elf (by Terry Newman) is a solid standalone whodunit, outside of the normal noir trappings.

Published in 2014, the book follows dwarf detective Nicely Strongoak as he tracks down a vanished surfer elf (no highfalooting willowy forest dweller, he!), is tied to a fresh elf murder, orc gangsters, and finds himself entangled in kingdom politicking...and perhaps a nefarious conspiracy. I don't want to mention too much, as the joy of discovery is half the fun.

I enjoyed this well enough to be a little upset that Newman hasn't put out a sequel in the last three years. That's a good thing. While the book does have a few meanders, as a first novel (by a veteran writer of stage, screen, and...stage again, but for stand-ups this time!), it's a firm success. Few firsts are absolutely perfect.

Strongoak has heavy lifting throughout beyond the norm: building this post-medieval, post-monarchist fantasy world (but it has cars, after a fashion, and some measure of tech; again, think steampunk), while maintaining the atmosphere of your Hammetts or Chandlers scene by scene. If you're used to fantasy, such as Tolkien, Jordan, Martin, Brooks, this isn't the familiar evergreen Middle Ages pastiche; it's centuries beyond that, in both appearance and make-up. Like Brust's Taltos stories, breaking free of the standard mold opens up dynamic storytelling options.

And fans of Vlad Taltos will find an entertaining diversion here - both in the mystery and the politics (because if there's one thing Steven Brust brings to the table in his Taltos books, its socio-economic commentary normally absent from this type of story).

Over on Goodreads, I rated this 4/5, but that's rounding up a touch. So to be as pedantic as possible, my actual rating is 3.75/5.

Recommended, and it's only $.99 on Kindle!. And Terry, if you stumble across this, kindly write another installment!

-E