Threads of Malice: A Novel (Dubric Bryerly)

Threads of Malice, like its predecessor Ghosts in the Snow, is extremely compelling and engaging. I couldn't put either of them down and read each of them in one sitting. However, they are not for the squeamish. Both books are very graphic and rather violent. Durbric Byerly is the equivalent of a detective or inspector. His particular quirk is that he sees ghosts. Now, these ghosts don't talk, but they communicate in other ways and, unfortunately, the ghosts are often ambiguous in their wants, needs, goals, stories, help etc... esp. when Durbric gets rash or impatient with them and reads them wrong. In a region near Castle Faldorrah, young men are disappearing and turning up murdered. Durbric and his small group of apprentices stay with friends in the region as they investigate the murders, which soon prove to be serial killings of the worst kind. The region being investigated holds the part of the tale of Durbric's personal history, beyond the death of his wife mentioned in the first book, and this history blends in with the current case. While all of the "good" characters are focused on solving the crimes, there are a few subplots to advance the series. One of the things I like about the books is that the answers to the puzzles and mystery do not come easy and the stumbling along the way seems honest, not contrived.

Welcome to the world after, where the horror of bloody-handed mages is just barely in the past, and Dubric, among others, are committed to making the past stay there. Tamara Siler Jones is committed to making the horrifying come to life with vivid, blunt, graphic language that puts a reader right there, just like the CSI shows do. She doesn't pull any punches. Heck, she throws plenty of extra weight behind each blow, and she doesn't hide any of the horror that comes with investigating each murder as they happen. She even lets us in on the other side of things, the villains. If you don't like blood, gore, evil, and maliciousness, don't read this book. Honestly, you'll have nightmares. But the morality is clearly on the good guys' side. She also does something in her books that I don't think could be done on film or any other medium: she uses children and young teenagers as part of the investigations, and she puts them in as much, if not more, risk than any horror movie. Bravo. She's my heroine.

I couldn't put this book down, I read it straight through to the end. This book is fantasy but it has grit; truly evil (and disturbing) villain(s), a noble and haunted main character (Dubric), the stalwart assistant (Dien), and the young man being tested as he comes of age (Lars). Well developed characters and mysteries mixed with tiny sprinkles of humor and romance really make for a well rounded book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes non-creature based fantasy and/or horror-mystery.

This was a hard one to put down. In fact, I didn't get to bed until 1 am, after finally giving in to my husband's eye rolling. Then I was up at 7 am with my nose in the book by 5 after. I LOVED IT! What a spectacular job Tamara Siler Jones did. I highly recommend this book. Enjoy! Threads of Malice is the continuing story of Dubric Byerly, the head of security at Castle Faldorran, who just happens to see dead people. Cursed since the murder of his wife, Dubric has spent the last forty or more years seeing the ghosts of people who have been murdered. These ghosts physically drain him, causing severe headaches and fatigue. And they hang on until he solves their murders. While this is the second book by Jones, it's a stand alone novel. I highly recommend you read Ghosts in the Snow first though, to get to know the world and characters. This visit to Faldorran finds young men vanishing in the far reaches of the kingdom. A body has been found in the river and a young painter has vanished. Dubric, his squire Dien and two young pages Lars and Otlee set out to get to the bottom of the disappearances. Fast paced, violent, disturbing, gripping and horrifying in the best possible way, Threads of Malice is a book you don't want to read alone at night. It only took about 2 pages to capture my interest and Tamara Siler Jones' excellent writing and story held it in a death grip until the final page. The blend of forensics, suspense and fantasy is something I've never read before finding Jones and I think it's safe to say she is the master. I was wondering "who done it" until the very last pages and there were plenty of red herrings that I swallowed hook, line and sinker. There is nothing predictable about this book. I highly recommend it to lovers of suspense and fantasy. It's only fair to warn you though, it's graphic and gory. There are scenes of rape, torture, pedophilia, murder and unbelievable brutality that are disturbing. It's good vs. evil in the most profound sense. In the end though, it's all well done, helps move the story forward and ratchets up the fear for characters you've come to know and love. She even manages to work a romance in. Incredible. Bravo Tamara, I can't wait until the third book comes out.

Since the murder of his wife years ago, Castle Faldorran Castellan Dubric Byerly sees ghosts of homicide victims demanding justice. These otherworldly essences will not leave him any respite haunting him and leaving Dubric exhausted to the point of collapse until he resolves their respective case. The youthful geese tender Eachann arrives from the northern reaches fatigued, injured, and distraught claiming the dark is killing young boys with the latest victim Braoin, a cousin of the wife of Dubric's squire Dien. Dubric, Dien and two pages Lars and Otlee head to the Reach to investigate a string of homicides by an apparent serial killer. To his chagrin upon reaching the crime scene vicinity, ghosts of the victims assault Dubric demanding justice. However, he and his staff begin to believe that the adversary is invincible as well as malevolent. The second Dubric ghostly tale is a much more vividly darker novel than the more capricious sprightly GHOSTS IN THE SNOW. The efforts to use forensics during the medieval era and thereby before the science of criminology has been created add to a fine blending of mystery, horror, and even a touch of the fantasy. Interestingly the investigation is filled with twists and turns, red herrings, and dead ends (literally and figuratively) that makes for a fine who-done-it. Still this is Dubric's tale as he battles ghostly migraines, evil spirits, rotting corpses, bumbling assistants, and a touch of love to battle an unbeatable foe. Harriet Klausner