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Eerin is a pickpocket; a street urchin trying to scrape enough coin together so that she and her brother can escape the slums of Peat. She’s disguising herself as a boy to protect herself from the indignities females on the streets face. When she’s accosted in the street by two men, one of whom is a Stain (a derogatory term for a Weaver due to their stained veins), and is coerced into taking on a dangerous job, she knows that refusal would mean repercussions for her brother, as well as herself. Markum is a Weaver, someone who can weave the threads of the universe after surviving a childhood illness. He’s not particularly powerful, though, and is sent to Peat so that his Uncle can figure out what to do with him. He’s spent his entire life never quite knowing when to keep his mouth shut, and finding himself in scrapes that could have been avoided. His particular talent lies in being able to taste when someone is being untruthful. When he almost catches a waif like thief stealing his uncles relic, his life is about to take a drastic turn.
A Tangle of Sleuth and Thief grabs the readers attention from the very first few paragraphs; building a rich world full of intrigue and danger. Eerin is a captivating character, woven with complexity as well as a deep, stubborn single-mindedness. She clings onto her prejudices, almost sullenly, while she tries to navigate the even more dangerous world she’s unwittingly found herself in – although with the actions of one of her encounters, it’s almost understandable. Her determination to leave the city with her brother is frustrating, especially when he repeatedly tells her he doesn’t want to leave.
Markum is fascinating as a character. He’s naïve, having had a sheltered upbringing which he mainly spent pursuing his father’s library. But there’s also something unspoken about him; he’s uncomfortable being touched, he retreats into his mind when trying to recall something so much, he doesn’t notice what’s happening around him. He can’t always tell, or pick up on, social cues and facial expressions, and more often than not, opens his mouth before his brain engages. From a literary point of view, he shows some similarities to Sherlock Holmes (never mind that he’s tasked with investigating a certain thief), and from a more literal point of view, he’s definitely socially awkward, to say the least. He’s quite refreshing, as during his chapters of the book, we get to see the world through his eyes – how confusing and exhausting it is navigating situations that are way out of his depth.
*I would also like to point out that you can see a map of Peat on Lockard’s website. I thoroughly recommend checking it out, as it’s honestly one of the most beautiful maps I’ve ever seen.
S. A
First published on Reedsy Discovery as part of their ARC program. You can read the original review here.
You can buy A Tangle of Sleuth and Thief from Amazon by clicking on the title.