SOLVED. Adult Fantasy anthology with a story about palace guards interrogating talking furniture at the scene of a crime. [s]

[Bridgette]

I read this anywhere from 2014-2015. Its a fantasy (possibly urban fantasy) anthology. I got it at my local library in Lapeer MI ( the Marguerite De Angeli branch) I've asked about it but the woman i spoke to wasnt sure of the name and my search in the catalog did not seem to turn it up..

The one story I remember, and kind of the reason I want this book, is about either a murder, burg, or murder/burglary. This takes place in a wizard or magician's home and the only witnesses are his talking living room furniture. It was set in magical fantasy land i believe two palace gaurds (i think one might be an elf) or police types interrogate the furniture. Said furniture complains about how messy their owner kept their home/them.

I think the book was blue or purple with a wizard on the cover. I could be wrong I read far too much and often get book covers mixed up.


~*SPOILER WARNING*~

I think one of the chairs is found out to have spoken to the killer/told him where something important was and in return the murder/thief cleans it.

[Bridgette]

I'm pretty sure the book was written after 2000.
Also how so i move my post up in the queue? I've yet to get any replies and am afraid i messed this up.

[Kris]

You have to be patient in this large group. Only 24 people have viewed your request. Sometimes books are found right away, sometimes it takes months or years. We suggest you bump your thread every 30+ days (not more often, unless you remember new information) and bookmark the thread.

[Bargle]

The only time I've encountered talking furniture in fiction was in a couple of Piers Anthony's Xanth series, but I don't recall any crime related to them.

[Bridgette]

Kris wrote: "You have to be patient in this large group. Only 24 people have viewed your request. Sometimes books are found right away, sometimes it takes months or years. We suggest you bump your thread every ..."

Ok thanks! I was afraid i had messed up somehow

[Kris]

No worries. You did a good job of providing a clear description, along with the year you read the book and a spoiler warning.

What was the common theme(s) in this fantasy anthology?

Approximately how many authors contributed to this book, and were they all contemporary authors?

[Justanotherbiblophile]

Bargle wrote: "The only time I've encountered talking furniture in fiction...."

Ithanalin's Restoration

[Bridgette]

Kris wrote: "No worries. You did a good job of providing a clear description, along with the year you read the book and a spoiler warning.

What was the common theme(s) in this fantasy anthology?

Approximately..."
I can't remember much because i read a few anthologies at the time. It might have been about detective stories in urban fantasy, i do vaugly remember another story about a girl in Victorian London who had some sort of powers and a raven companion who goes to save a friend whose also her roommate. I have no idea if its in the same book though.
Pretty sure urban fantasy was the subject but i could be wrong.

[Sue]

The book with the girl and raven sounds like 'The Wizard Of London' by Mercedes Lackey-one of her Elemental Masters series. Her room-mate had a grey parrot.

[Bridgette]

Sue wrote: "The book with the girl and raven sounds like 'The Wizard Of London' by Mercedes Lackey-one of her Elemental Masters series. Her room-mate had a grey parrot."

Yes! It was a short story of that series I think. I'm going to Google to see if its in the same anthology as the story I was looking for.

[Bridgette]

Sue wrote: "The book with the girl and raven sounds like 'The Wizard Of London' by Mercedes Lackey-one of her Elemental Masters series. Her room-mate had a grey parrot."
I checked and even though this sounds like one of the stories I read, I wasn't able to find an anthology with this in it besides ones dedicated specificity to that series. Hopefully someone else might have a clue, I'm rather hopeless when it comes to this kind of searching.

[Kris]

The Wizard of London by Mercedes Lackey for Sue's suggestion. (I used Goodreads' search.)

[Bridgette]

Kris wrote: "The Wizard of London by Mercedes Lackey for Sue's suggestion. (I used Goodreads' search.)"
Yes but the book I read was an anthology, I checked that out and it's a standalone book. I'm honestly not even sure that story was in the book i was looking for.

[Mir]

Bridgette wrote: "Kris wrote: "The Wizard of London by Mercedes Lackey for Sue's suggestion. (I used Goodreads' search.)"
Yes but the book I read was an anthology, I checked that out and i..."

There is at least one short story featuring the same two girls and parrot. I don't remember where I read it but pretty sure it was an anthology that included other authors, not just Lackey.

[Mir]

Any chance it could be Powers of Detection: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy?

[Summer]

This sounds slightly familiar to me. It's possible it's in one of those grim fairy tale anthologies edited by Datlow and Windling? Possibly one from the villains' point of view, like A Wolf At The Door or Troll's Eye View or something.
I think the furniture story was in an anthology with a Cinderella story from the stepsister's POV, where Cinderella's PR wizards slandered her, and Cinderella starts murdering people to keep her place?

[Bridgette]

Summer wrote: "This sounds slightly familiar to me. It's possible it's in one of those grim fairy tale anthologies edited by Datlow and Windling? Possibly one from the villains' point of view, like A Wolf At The ..."
I do own a book of fairy tale crimes.... i may have been looking for a book that has been sitting on my bookshelf this whole time!

[Justanotherbiblophile]

Post back if you locate the book, some of the rest of us are interested... :P

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Did you rule out Miriam's suggestion @15?

[Justanotherbiblophile]

*bump* Messaged Bridgette.

[Pamela]

I'm pretty sure this is from Tales from the Dragon Precinct by R.A. DeCandido. Tales from Dragon Precinct

[Justanotherbiblophile]

Pamela wrote: "I'm pretty sure this is from Tales from the Dragon Precinct by R.A. DeCandido"

From the description: "featuring the Castle Guard: new cases for Lieutenants Torin ban Wyvald and Danthres Tresyllione to solve, as they deal with animated furniture..."

In the story, "Getting the Chair", the couch and the lantern talk, the mage's dead body was discovered because of a high odor. His specialty? Animating furniture. At least the first couple of pages are available on Amazon.

Meets all the points:
1) wizard's cottage, windows magicked shut
2) talking living room furniture
3) magical fantasy land
4) City guard: one is a half-elf
5) interrogating furniture
6) mage was a packrat / left a mess (the Guard is unable to tell at a glance if anything is missing)

[Pamela]

And also it has a purple cover. Thanks for looking up the info. I used to own this book but don't anymore.

[Cricket]

Is it possibly Murder by Magic: Twenty Tales of Crime and the Supernatural? I see the story there. (The author isDeCandido, Keith R.A., and he has a series based on the story setting.

[Bridgette]

Cricket wrote: "Is it possibly Murder by Magic: Twenty Tales of Crime and the Supernatural? I see the story there. (The author isDeCandido, Keith R.A., and he has a series based on t..."

It is! Somehow I lost the thread thank you so much for your help!