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Missing, Presumed Undead
A Franklin Mynos Magimystery, No. 1

by Jeremy Davies



      I must say I was entranced (pardon the pun) by the first installment in Jeremy Davies' Franklin Mynos Magimystery series. Missing, Presumed Undead is unexpectedly refreshing. Set in an alternative universe where magic runs the mechanisms of a large metropolis, reminiscent of New York City, the book follows private investigator, Frank Mynos, an imposing bull minotaur, as he and his magical blade, Rhys, try to find out who snatched the body of the late Ashley Ash and for what purpose. The tale is told through Rhys' eyes, with all of his wry wit intact.

Once I understood that Minos' city didn't run by ordinary rules, I happily tagged along as the pair nosed into the various guilds in the city, including the necromancers who deal with the dead and the legally undead. I saw that this city also has as much bureaucracy as any in this universe and also has all of the trappings of any hard-boiled detective story. Minos is a combination of Mike Hammer, Lou Peckinpaugh (The Cheap Detective), and Philip Marlowe. Though Minos is by no means smooth or debonair, he is likeable, stubborn (what do you expect from a bull minotaur), and determined. Minos gets the job done.

Rhys does a great job telling the reader the general history of the beings that they encounter, and it's all done with great, good humor. In telepathic communication with Minos, he also adds common sense and comic relief, as any sidekick would do.

The concept of Magimystery hasn't been done since Joseph Dougherty's films Cast a Deadly Spell and Witch Hunt that were written for HBO in the early 1990s. I thoroughly enjoyed them and Missing, Presumed Undead was equally good.

Jeremy Davies, when will the next volume be out?

The Book

Double Dragon Publishing
January 2005
ebook
1-55404-214-3
Fiction, Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Mystery
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
NOTE:

The Reviewer

Janie Franz
Reviewed 2006
NOTE: Reviewer Janie Franz is the author of Freelance Writing: It’s a Business, Stupid!, Relaxation Techniques for Children, Relaxation Techniques for Adults; Co-author of The Ultimate Wedding Reception Book and The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Book. Coming Soon: The Ultimate Wedding Workbook, Get Rich on Love, and Sacred Breath (a sound recording of relaxation meditations).
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