The Deathsniffer’s Assistant The Faraday Files Book 1 eBook Kate McIntyre
Download As PDF : The Deathsniffer’s Assistant The Faraday Files Book 1 eBook Kate McIntyre 
After losing his parents in the Floating Castle Incident, the sensitive and mannered Chris Buckley has spent six years raising his magically talented little sister, Rosemary, on the savings that his once-wealthy family left behind. But that money is drying up, and Chris finds himself with no choice but to seek out work in Darrington City as it spirals into a depression. The only employer willing to consider his empty résumé is Olivia Faraday, the manic Deathsniffer. Olivia’s special magical gift gives her a heightened intuition which makes her invaluable in hunting down murderers.
When a Duchess of the mysterious Old Blooded Nobility calls on Olivia to solve the mystery of her dead husband, Chris finds himself tangled in Olivia Faraday’s daily life and unable to extract himself from the macabre questions of the investigation. His involvement grows more complicated as political forces in Darrington close around Rosemary, seeing her as a tool that can be used to end the depression at the cost of her freedom—or even her life. Chris must juggle the question of who killed Viktor val Daren with the responsibility of keeping Rosemary and her magic safe from those who would use her up and toss her aside. Worst of all, he begins to learn that the national disaster that took his parents’ lives may not have been the accident it seemed.
Set in a world very similar to 1900s London, The Deathsniffer’s Assistant combines the investigative murder mystery with a tale of personal and societal redemption. It is about the relationships between broken people who clash more often than not, but manage to shape and learn from one another in spite of this. The story is told from the perspective of Christopher Buckley, young and impressionable and influenced by the prejudices of his time, as he finds himself surrounded by a cast of exceptional women whose differing characters will slowly reconstruct his understanding of strength in others—and in himself.
The Deathsniffer’s Assistant The Faraday Files Book 1 eBook Kate McIntyre
The Deathsniffer's Assistant is a debut novel by Kate McIntyre, who has written a story that can justifiably be called a fantasy where a brother tries to protect his more talented sister from being used by a heavily magic-dependent society on the brink of collapse, or a murder mystery from the point of view of a Watson archetype, but with unicorns, magic, and a Holmes whose ability makes her almost inhuman. If either description interests you, then I can heartily recommend this book.For centuries, the economy of Tarland has reaped the benefits of categorization, a process where every citizen of age has a magical ability awakened, which guides what work is available to them and how they are considered by society. But it has been years since the more powerful abilities, such as spiritbinding, or the control of elemental spirits, have been uncovered, and while political factions debate - sometimes violently - over whether Tarland should end its dependence on categorization, the country is running headlong into a depression.
It is in this setting that we meet Christopher Buckley, a man from a once famous but now impoverished family who had the course of his life changed by his parents' deaths in a very public and traumatic accident. He has devoted his life since then to raising his young sister with his family's dwindling fortune, but with those funds running dry, he reluctantly answers the one job advertisement for which he qualifies, one for an assistant with a talent for wordweaving, the psychic transfer of words from the mind to the page. His new boss, Olivia Faraday, is a Deathsniffer, a murder-solving specialist blessed (or cursed) with magical intuition who doesn't blink twice at a room sprayed with blood, or working during a holiday. Our protagonists appear initially to be very flawed people: Christopher is a judgmental snob who places too much stock on appearances, Olivia is abrasive and doesn't care to correct the impression that she delights in other people's misery, but McIntyre takes care to show us how they became that way, with the promise that they will make a pretty good murder-solving team despite their seemingly incompatible personalities.
My favourite aspect of the novel is its sheer diversity of female characters. There is double the women to men, but number doesn't matter when all the women are flat, and none of the women in this novel are. Obviously, there is Olivia, but also Maris, Olivia's long-suffering supervisor, Rosemary, Chris' little sister whose voice McIntyre captures so well that anyone who has had to supervise a teenage girl will wince, Rachel, the sensible if severe governess, and many more. Despite the main point of view character being male, Christopher is never surprised or makes a point that he seems to run into so many women, which may seem surprising in a society inspired by early 20th century Europe, but makes sense in a society that discriminates between what magic a person possesses, rather than their gender.
For people curious about the fantasy parts of the novel, from a long-time reader of fantasy/speculative fiction, the more fantastic elements of the story, such as the magic system, were easy to follow: in general, the different magics are exactly what they are named. I appreciated that the infodumps that can get out of control in new authors are few and far between here, and that when given, tend to be important to the plot. I think this book is also suitable for people new to fantasy, since much of the setting seems drawn from history, such as the Victorian/Edwardian era, and the effect the Industrial Revolution had on Europe. Many plot points - including a possible conspiracy - are left unresolved for a sequel, so unless you are only interested in the mystery, I can't recommend this book as a standalone, but I dare you to not want to read a sequel after finishing this.
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The Deathsniffer’s Assistant The Faraday Files Book 1 eBook Kate McIntyre Reviews
First off, I was pleased to see how long this story was. I've been reading self-published books that barely make it to location 3000 and this one made it to 6391. It's a true book. PLUS - and I hate to say "plus" - it has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Characters that are developed. Good world-building.
But oh. My. Gosh. Hire a proofreader. Here are some samples--and this is why I am giving this book four stars instead of five.
Murdrers when it should be "murderers."
"...spreading her layered, old-fashioned skirts out all around her" when it should be "spreading out her layered..." (separating the act of "spreading out"--this is a very common issue in writing today, and it drives me nuts; sorry folks, my personal peeve).
Constantly spelling "led" (an action of the past tense) as "lead" an action of the present tense (or the metal that can block Superman's vision).
Getting words all mixed up "before he even knew he what was looking at"
Generally wrong words "wrecked" when the needed word was "wreaked," "due" instead of "do," "needed" instead of "needn't," "bought" instead of "brought."
Missing a single letter (or two) "The last thing she needed (w)as an appetite for fame," "'Of course,' Chris replied eas(il)y," "But on(c) she began talking."
Badly constructed sentences "he'd opened an atlas and made a list of every town he could afford to take her." when it should have been "he'd opened an atlas and made a list of every town where he could afford to take her."
I wasn't quite sure what to expect going in to The Deathsniffer's Assistant. The beautiful cover gave off a Victorian / steampunkish vibe, which had me apprehensive as I've had bad experiences with steampunk in the past. I'm happy to say that this novel is more of a Victorian fantasy with magic and elementals.
This is a world where the binding of elementals to power items is commonplace (and dangerous). Enchanted objects from the necessary (lights) to the frivolous (amusement park rides) to the grim (executions) are infused with the essences of unwilling elemental beings. There's an underlying story arc of a conflict between traditionalists (the enchanters) and progressives (those who wish to wean society from magic and rely on technology), though it serves as a subtle backdrop to the events of the story. In this society, most non-nobles are 'categorized' according to their magical abilities. Some people have power over the body and get assigned to work in the medical field, others are 'heartseers' and know the feelings of those around them. Some are also 'truthsniffers' who are supposedly able to detect lies - though this 'power' seemed a bit underwhelming in the story. (I'll come back to that.)
The story is told from the POV of Christopher Buckley, a 'fallen aristocrat' from a once prestigious family who is struggling to provide for his younger sister after the death (several years before) of their parents. His family fortune has dwindled, and he is forced to take work. He winds up in the office of 'deathsniffer' O. Faraday, who is a truthsniffer specializing in the investigation of murder. Her occupation (and proud embrace of it) keeps people away out of superstition, but having no other options - Mr. Buckley decides to accept work as her assistant. His magical gift of being a wordweaver allows him to cause writing to appear as fast as he can think it, and his job is to 'take notes' of everything that goes on.
The major characters and the antagonist are all richly developed, full characters with believable quirks and unique personalities. With a murder mystery afoot, the author did an excellent job keeping me guessing as to the identity of the killer (though a few hints gave me a strong suspicion which later turned out correct.)
If I had anything somewhat negative to say, I thought the 'truthsniffing' was underplayed. The titular 'deathsniffer' didn't seem all that much different from an ordinary investigator with the occasional 'hunch.' A minor character (timeseer) wound up adding more of a magical essence to the investigation that I think would've felt better coming from the deathsniffer. For the reputation she has, her effect on the story seemed almost brushed aside - Christopher did as much or more figuring out as the primary investigator, and her magical 'truthseeing' didn't feel magical, more like a detective with strong instincts.
I'm looking forward to seeing more of this world, as the conflict between the enslaved elementals and humans looks to be something that Buckley's sister might play a pivotal role in changing. The way the author portrayed even the elementals left me feeling sympathy for them, and I am wondering if one of the characters is going to wind up leading a crusade to emancipate them at some point.
All in all this was a wonderfully woven tale of murder mystery laced with magic, set in a rich and detailed alternate world England.
The Deathsniffer's Assistant is a debut novel by Kate McIntyre, who has written a story that can justifiably be called a fantasy where a brother tries to protect his more talented sister from being used by a heavily magic-dependent society on the brink of collapse, or a murder mystery from the point of view of a Watson archetype, but with unicorns, magic, and a Holmes whose ability makes her almost inhuman. If either description interests you, then I can heartily recommend this book.
For centuries, the economy of Tarland has reaped the benefits of categorization, a process where every citizen of age has a magical ability awakened, which guides what work is available to them and how they are considered by society. But it has been years since the more powerful abilities, such as spiritbinding, or the control of elemental spirits, have been uncovered, and while political factions debate - sometimes violently - over whether Tarland should end its dependence on categorization, the country is running headlong into a depression.
It is in this setting that we meet Christopher Buckley, a man from a once famous but now impoverished family who had the course of his life changed by his parents' deaths in a very public and traumatic accident. He has devoted his life since then to raising his young sister with his family's dwindling fortune, but with those funds running dry, he reluctantly answers the one job advertisement for which he qualifies, one for an assistant with a talent for wordweaving, the psychic transfer of words from the mind to the page. His new boss, Olivia Faraday, is a Deathsniffer, a murder-solving specialist blessed (or cursed) with magical intuition who doesn't blink twice at a room sprayed with blood, or working during a holiday. Our protagonists appear initially to be very flawed people Christopher is a judgmental snob who places too much stock on appearances, Olivia is abrasive and doesn't care to correct the impression that she delights in other people's misery, but McIntyre takes care to show us how they became that way, with the promise that they will make a pretty good murder-solving team despite their seemingly incompatible personalities.
My favourite aspect of the novel is its sheer diversity of female characters. There is double the women to men, but number doesn't matter when all the women are flat, and none of the women in this novel are. Obviously, there is Olivia, but also Maris, Olivia's long-suffering supervisor, Rosemary, Chris' little sister whose voice McIntyre captures so well that anyone who has had to supervise a teenage girl will wince, Rachel, the sensible if severe governess, and many more. Despite the main point of view character being male, Christopher is never surprised or makes a point that he seems to run into so many women, which may seem surprising in a society inspired by early 20th century Europe, but makes sense in a society that discriminates between what magic a person possesses, rather than their gender.
For people curious about the fantasy parts of the novel, from a long-time reader of fantasy/speculative fiction, the more fantastic elements of the story, such as the magic system, were easy to follow in general, the different magics are exactly what they are named. I appreciated that the infodumps that can get out of control in new authors are few and far between here, and that when given, tend to be important to the plot. I think this book is also suitable for people new to fantasy, since much of the setting seems drawn from history, such as the Victorian/Edwardian era, and the effect the Industrial Revolution had on Europe. Many plot points - including a possible conspiracy - are left unresolved for a sequel, so unless you are only interested in the mystery, I can't recommend this book as a standalone, but I dare you to not want to read a sequel after finishing this.
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