Ding dong, the witch is dead.
That almost starts the book. 4:34AM, and a little girl is pounding on the door of the best detective in town. Her mom, a witch, has been killed. Her father was kidnapped. If only the warlock’s apartment had a doorbell.
The investigation starts with Adair Finch trying to dismiss the girl. He retired as a detective when his brother died, years ago. The girl, Bree, isn’t gone and is still crying, so he gives her some calming tea. The girl convinces the warlock to help her. They start the usual noir stuff. A visit to the crime scene, for example.
In this book, there are important locations: the apartment, the crime scene, a parking lot, the police station, several colleges, a self-storage zone. There are several important characters: the father, the police, a courier, a dog, a cat, several professors. There are also a number of important times. 4:34 AM, when the day starts. 9AM, when a courier arrives. Noon, when a Sgt returns to the police station. A car accident. A shooting.
Eventually, Adair reaches a point where the “Time-Marked” part of the title kicks in, and he returns to 4:34 and Bree is banging on his door again. This time around Adair knows more and can collect more important places, personalities and time events.
Zooming out, the city is a whole chessboard of places and events, and Adair is a knight figuring out how all the pieces have moved.
It’s a twisty tale and a lot of fun. I loved it. Interesting characters and bad guys. A big plot that makes sense.
Soundbooth Theater does a great job acting out all the characters. Highly recommended.