Book Blurb
Sometimes, your case takes a left turn. Or three or four. Marten Mingenstern and Boog Eggstrom are provisional inspectors, fresh out of Inquisitor’s Guild training and eager to prove themselves. Assigned the mundane task of tracking down stolen jewels, they instead uncover a mysterious cult set on destroying the city. After a thief explodes, they earn the enmity of a vicious noble, the Chief Inquisitor gets bought off and goes rogue, they are seized by barbarians, and they are sentenced to death at least a couple of times. In a final, frantic race with prophecy, they face ruthless fanatics, a city turned against them, and terrible forces long buried.
Flames Over Frosthelm is the first novel about the Inquisitor's Guild, the investigative arm of the government of Frosthelm, a medieval city-state where criminals thrive, nobles scheme, and dark secrets lurk. Expect intrigue, mystery, swordplay, adventure, politics, romance, and the strong bonds of friendship. And a little magic along the way. Described as Princess Bride meets CSI, this new novel is a tale of classic adventure with a healthy dose of humor.
Inquisitors’ Guild Series
Epic Fantasy | Adult (13+) | 383 Pages | 2019 | Self Published
I Feel a Bad Moon Rising | You’ve Got a Friend in Me | It’s the End of the World As We Know It
Book Review
Thank you to Escapist Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!
Marten and Boog thought they were investigating stolen jewels. But when magic erupts during their apprehension of the thief, and said thief quite literally ends up in pieces, they realize things might be a bit more complicated. When they begin to dig deeper into the stolen items and find a possible noble involved in criminal affairs, their guild is quickly silenced. Marten and Boog, ever the dutiful inspectors, continue their investigations despite the order to stop. And they will find there is a lot more at stake than missing jewelry.
The humor written throughout Flames Over Frosthelm is a constant subtle influence. Whether it’s characters sharing witty remarks, or stumbling through actions and creating a sense of slapstick humor. Readers will be sure to let out a chuckle or two at the antics of the characters. While the plot has heavy-hitting themes that follow an overarching mystery, the humor serves to lighten the mood.
The mystery itself takes readers on an investigation of multiple levels. While it seems like a simple enough story of stolen goods, it evolves into a complex string of events. Some of which the characters quite honestly stumble into. Being caught in the moment, trying to put the puzzle together served to engage me in the mystery. There was such a wide variety of characters and angles of involvement. And just as it seems Marten and Boog make progress, another piece falls to drag them back two steps.
Marten does have a tendency to stay in his own mind, mulling over situations and all the possible angles. While this is a great way to showcase his abilities as an inspector, it also tends to produce a lot of upfront information for the reader to process. I think if the large amounts of information were restricted to only Marten’s thoughts, it wouldn’t have slowed the story as much. I enjoyed diving into his thought patterns, but this writing style was used in dialogue and other elements of the story as well.
That being said, the characters are well written. Marten and Boog have a companionship known from their first time on the page together. The way they easily work together and share humorous moments is well worth the read. I especially enjoyed Boog being unable to use his signs correctly and mucking up his signals to Marten. The signals are used to notify a fellow inspector without giving away their positions. And of course, Marten would at first consider the fumbled words seriously, then realize after observation that Boog misplaced a finger again.
Flames Over Frosthelm is a wonderful jaunt into a fantasy mystery. Filled with humorous moments and delightful characters. Give this novel a try if you enjoy detective reads with a fantasy flare.
About the Author
A native of Ames, Iowa, Dave loves writing, reading, boardgames, computer games, improv comedy, pizza, barbarian movies, and the cheaper end of the Taco Bell menu. Also, his wife and kids.
In addition to his novels, Dave is the author of Snood, Snoodoku, Snood Towers, and other computer games. Dave first published Snood in 1996, and it became one of the most popular shareware games of the early Internet. His most recent project (other than writing) is Doctor Esker's Notebook, a puzzle card game in the spirit of escape rooms.
Dave taught geology, environmental studies, and computer programming at Guilford College for 24 years, and he does improv comedy every week at the Idiot Box in Greensboro, North Carolina. He’s also played the world’s largest tuba in concert. Not that that is relevant, but it’s still kinda cool.
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