ASIN : B0927CQSSN
Publisher : Tordotcom (March 22, 2022)
Publication date : March 22, 2022
Language : English
Praise for COMEUPPANCE SERVED COLD
A Most Anticipated Pick for The Nerd Daily | Autostraddle
“I love a good heist, and this is a beautifully constructed magical heist in turn-of-the-century Seattle.” ―Mary Robinette Kowal
“This fierce magical heist tale is as smooth as gin and jazz.” ―Beth Cato
“Catnip for those who like watching con artists walk the tightrope of trickery and lies.” ―Marie Brennan
“[A] captivating noir fantasy. . .Deeds presents all this intrigue in reverse chronological order, spinning out mysteries that will keep readers guessing till the end. The result is a well-crafted puzzle; readers’ only complaint will be that they want more.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A fun, fast-moving heist story that will immediately hook readers who love 1920s-era worlds and soft-fantasy world building.” ―Booklist, starred review
“Readers who love heist and caper stories will be thrilled with Dolly and her quest to deliver much-deserved comeuppance to those who believed they are above the law. The gas-lamp setting gives just the right touch of magic and creeping dread to Deeds’s novel.” ―Library Journal
“A deliciously fun novella set in 1929 Seattle is just what is needed for your bookshelves. . . .Beginning at the ending and following the path backwards through a magical heist, this story brings comeuppance to all.” ―Buzzfeed
“Deeds tells her story with nuance and subtly, luring you into a false sense of pleasantry. From the first page to the very last word, I was enthralled with this tale of thievery and lies.” ―Grimdark Magazine
Synopsis
Seattle, 1929—a bitterly divided city overflowing with wealth, violence, and magic.
A respected magus and city leader intent on criminalizing Seattle’s most vulnerable magickers hires a young woman as a lady’s companion to curb his rebellious daughter’s outrageous behavior.
The widowed owner of a speakeasy encounters an opportunity to make her husband’s murderer pay while she tries to keep her shapeshifter brother safe.
A notorious thief slips into the city to complete a delicate and dangerous job that will leave chaos in its wake.
One thing is for certain—comeuppance, eventually, waits for everyone.
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Chapter One
november 4, 1929 (thirteen days before)
ambrose earnshaw, Seattle’s Commissioner of Magi, looked over his wide ebony desk at the young woman seated across it. “Mortimer Lester is a good friend,” he said, “but he is not a great a judge of character. I am, and I investigate thor- oughly.” He touched the open file folder before him.
The woman nodded. Her expression was serious but not anxious. She was pretty, with green eyes and black hair, un- fashionably long, tucked up bob-like under a gray cloche. Her hands were folded, but he could see where a tear in the thumb seam of one glove had been nearly perfectly mended. Her white blouse was impeccably pressed. The gray wool skirt she wore, which ended just below her knee, was not in the latest fashion.
“You came here from California, and you told me you at- tended Miss Meritage’s Young Women’s Academy in San Diego,” he said.
“My parents died when I was ten, and Uncle John was the only one who could take me in.” She had a low-pitched voice. “When I was thirteen, my aunt got sick. With the four boys, they couldn’t look after me, so I went to Miss Meritage’s.”
“I have her letter here.” He cleared his throat and read aloud,
“Miss White was a conscientious and obedient student. Even though she possesses no magical affinity, she is a careful and methodical mixer of potions. She is reliable, punctual, and tidy. If the position you are filling does not require great imag- ination, she will do well. I recommend her to you.”
If Miss White was hurt by this blunt assessment, it didn’t show.
“You cared for Mortimer’s great-aunt, in Tarzana, until she crossed over.”
“Yes.” Miss White shifted her hands. “I came to Seattle look- ing for work. Mr. Lester told me you might have a position.”
“I do,” he said. He glanced around the room, stroking his mustache with thumb and forefinger. His study always filled him with satisfaction, from the teak wainscoting to the mar- quetry ceiling carved of bird’s-eye maple. The rich Persian rugs—chosen by his wife, now five years dead—ran up to the French doors, their thin drapes drawn back to show a view of the flagstone terrace and the autumn garden.
“I’ve done a bit of research about you too, Mr. Earnshaw,” Dolly White said. “I understand you are the Commissioner of Magi, and your eldest child, Francis, is in the Order of Saint Michael the Protector, which I assume is a magical police force. Or part of your commission? I don’t completely under- stand.”
“The Order is less formal. Our police force is filled with shortsighted fools, too timorous to take necessary action. There’s a need for a volunteer force to pick up the slack.”
A puzzled frown wrinkled her forehead. “A vigilance com- mittee?”
“That’s an old-fashioned term, Miss White. The Order of Saint Michael merely protects the populace where the police
cannot.” He shot his cuffs. “As for the Commission, it’s a . . . well, a governing council. We recommend policy on magic to the mayor and the city council, and we investigate com- plaints. We’re responsible for the licensing of magical practi- tioners and the collecting of fees.”
“We didn’t have those in California, I think,” she said. “California is a hotbed of magical crime.”
A silence fell.
“Well,” Dolly said, “I admit I’m confused. You wanted a companion for your daughter, but I’ve seen her picture in the society pages, and she isn’t an invalid, is she?”
“My daughter is a drunkard.” Dolly White raised her eyebrows.
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Marion Deeds was born in Santa Barbara, California and moved to northern California when she was five. She loves the redwoods, the ocean, dogs and crows.
She’s fascinated by the unexplained, and curious about power: who has it, who gets it, what is the best way to wield it. These questions inform her stories.
Deeds has published Aluminum Leaves and Copper Road from Falstaff Books, with short works in Podcastle and several anthologies. She reviews fiction and writes a column for the review site Fantasy Literature.
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