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The Sleuth Apparent: A Fantasy Mystery Novel
In Aeromorea, a cube-shaped world, where every bloodline has a magical blessing and a curse, Detective Merlonoit Alondere yearns to sail to another surface to find the cure for his ailing lover. The price, however, is too high.
Yet everything changes when a powerful political figure approaches Merl to investigate the mysterious death of Kyster Kinstone, an invincible man. If he solves the case, Merl will be given voyage to the cure. Merl instantly accepts, using his blessing of heightened senses to find clues others cannot.
But he has competition; his hateful uncle, conniving brother-in-law, and twin brother are joining the investigation, and some have their own reasons for wanting Merl to fail.
As Merl battles his own family for the prize, he faces similar chaos from shady a cruel mother, a joyful chef, an unruly bride, a bitter farmer, and a 500-year-old man who can harvest the time of others and keep it for himself. Each one has their own secrets . . . secrets worth killing for.
Yet everything changes when a powerful political figure approaches Merl to investigate the mysterious death of Kyster Kinstone, an invincible man. If he solves the case, Merl will be given voyage to the cure. Merl instantly accepts, using his blessing of heightened senses to find clues others cannot.
But he has competition; his hateful uncle, conniving brother-in-law, and twin brother are joining the investigation, and some have their own reasons for wanting Merl to fail.
As Merl battles his own family for the prize, he faces similar chaos from shady a cruel mother, a joyful chef, an unruly bride, a bitter farmer, and a 500-year-old man who can harvest the time of others and keep it for himself. Each one has their own secrets . . . secrets worth killing for.
513 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 5, 2024
9 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 26, 2024
Thanks to BookSirens for the eARC
The Sleuth Apparent is a fantastic blend of fantasy and mystery, with a well-crafted world, and a slew of interesting characters who have blessings and curses.
The plot centers around a family of detectives blessed with heightened senses charged with finding out how an invincible man was murdered. While the tale is well-written and the world expertly built, it requires a smattering of exposition which slows down the overall pacing of the story. The clues are scattered across the narrative, with the resolution typical of a mystery.
There are a multitude of relational subplots that distract from the main narrative, and the character names stray more towards fantasy than to mystery, and need not have been so whimsical.
It's a good start to a mystery series, and I look forward to reading more about this world and its characters.
The Sleuth Apparent is a fantastic blend of fantasy and mystery, with a well-crafted world, and a slew of interesting characters who have blessings and curses.
The plot centers around a family of detectives blessed with heightened senses charged with finding out how an invincible man was murdered. While the tale is well-written and the world expertly built, it requires a smattering of exposition which slows down the overall pacing of the story. The clues are scattered across the narrative, with the resolution typical of a mystery.
There are a multitude of relational subplots that distract from the main narrative, and the character names stray more towards fantasy than to mystery, and need not have been so whimsical.
It's a good start to a mystery series, and I look forward to reading more about this world and its characters.
November 5, 2024
The perfect blend of fantasy and mystery. The characters are alive and the dysfunctional family dynamic is beyond entertaining. The world-building is top-notch, and it’s been a long time since I’ve read a magic system so unique. Lots of twists and turns throughout. This book is just plain fun.
The Sleuth Apparent is truly special and I can’t wait for the next one.
The Sleuth Apparent is truly special and I can’t wait for the next one.
February 26, 2025
I started this book after reading many ‘romantasy’ books and it was a nice switch up. The magic system is very intriguing and that was honestly my favorite part about it. I’m a very impatient reader and have to be hooked by chapter 3 and honestly HATE world building (not a great combination as a fantasy reader 😅) For me, once I got through about 20% of the book it took off. I’m excited to learn more about this world in future books and more about these characters (although I’ll be sad to move away from the family you come to love). When I thought the book was over that’s when it became a wild ride and it was amazing. Jackson did a phenomenal job tying things up while leaving the hunger alive, this was an unpredictable mystery that was exciting.
November 17, 2024
I have nothing but good things to say about this book! The world of Aeromorea is so creative and well thought out - like no other fantasy I’ve read before. The story flowed and was easy to follow, but was not predictable, which made for a great ending! There’s a few unanswered questions at the end, which has left me needing the next in the series yesterday. I can’t wait to read more and follow Merl on his next adventures!!
November 27, 2024
Loved it!!
This book had be intrigued from the beginning. I didn't ever fall into a lull where I wasn't captivated, or didn't want to keep reading. I loved the intricacies of the world it takes place in, and the characters are wonderfully their own. I absolutely loved the book and can't wait for the second!
This book had be intrigued from the beginning. I didn't ever fall into a lull where I wasn't captivated, or didn't want to keep reading. I loved the intricacies of the world it takes place in, and the characters are wonderfully their own. I absolutely loved the book and can't wait for the second!
March 10, 2025
This was absolutely thrilling all the way through. Porter has created an entire world for us to discover along the way as we dive into the mysterious death and fascinating dynamics at play. There was so much to unpack and reveal. Nothing was predictable, yet it all made sense in the end. Even with the resolved murder at the end, I was surprised to find the end - I just wanted it to keep going! I did not consider the implications of reading a first novel like this, now I must wait for the next installment. So freaking excited to see what lies ahead for Merl and Shameer. Well done, Porter. Thank you for persisting and sharing your gift with us all.
January 5, 2025
Fantasy 🤝 Murder Mystery
This book reminded me how much I love to read! I’m invested in all of the main characters and their subplots- I felt these weren’t a distraction to the main plot and helped me get to know each character and understand how they operate. Each character is also finding their own clues, as there are multiple detectives on the case. The story moves along at the perfect pace. I found myself trying to solve the mystery even while I wasn’t reading the book! I definitely appreciated the map at the beginning of the book. While the characters aren’t traveling to too many places here and there, it was a helpful reference. The book has everything you need; a new world to explore, murder, a dysfunctional family’s juicy secrets, and romance (very appropriate, no smut here). The ending is surprising, but not out of the blue AND satisfying but also left me excited for the next book!
This book reminded me how much I love to read! I’m invested in all of the main characters and their subplots- I felt these weren’t a distraction to the main plot and helped me get to know each character and understand how they operate. Each character is also finding their own clues, as there are multiple detectives on the case. The story moves along at the perfect pace. I found myself trying to solve the mystery even while I wasn’t reading the book! I definitely appreciated the map at the beginning of the book. While the characters aren’t traveling to too many places here and there, it was a helpful reference. The book has everything you need; a new world to explore, murder, a dysfunctional family’s juicy secrets, and romance (very appropriate, no smut here). The ending is surprising, but not out of the blue AND satisfying but also left me excited for the next book!
September 4, 2025
Such a fun a delightsome book, especially as a debut novel. “R” is my favorite character. I loved the combination of mystery and magic. This felt somewhere between a middle grade and YA novel, a transitional genre often overlooked and misrepresented.
I am looking forward to reading the second book when it comes out.
I am looking forward to reading the second book when it comes out.
December 3, 2024
good first start.
3.5 stars. Really interesting concept and world building. But there are a lot of tropes in this book. Would have been better if the author would have stuck to a few and focused on doing them well.
Overall it was a quick and fun read. Looking forward to book 2
3.5 stars. Really interesting concept and world building. But there are a lot of tropes in this book. Would have been better if the author would have stuck to a few and focused on doing them well.
Overall it was a quick and fun read. Looking forward to book 2
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews