2025 fantasy novella in the World of the Five Gods (formerly known as
Chalion). Early in Pen's career, when he's still a sorcerer-physician
in Martensbridge, he's attached to his archdivine's party as she
travels to judge a temple dispute as the administration adjusts
following a transfer of territory in a local war.
Of course many people want to try to influence the senior judge,
so when another divine tries to get an appointment, Pen puts her off
until the morning. Then it turns out that she has died in the night.
And that she was one of the contending temples' accountants.
For once, it's not Pen's job to solve the murder. But it does fall to
him to work out that it was a murder, and while the local law
enforcement can follow the evidence to who, Pen will have the job of
finding out why.
A fair bit of that is dogged persistence in investigating things that
other people might dismiss as unimportant, rather than brilliant
moments of deduction, but I think that's very true to the real process
of working out the details of a crime. And even Pen needs to call on
specialists when it comes to interpreting some sorts of evidence.
They walked on another space. Dena burst out in frustration, "So do
they imagine our god is on their side? The Father certainly
doesn't seem to have done anything to indicate anything else." Her
hand touched her rosette, then swiped angrily away.
"Well," said Penric diffidently, "some Someone might have sent
me."
Good stuff as always, but it's also pleasing to return sometimes to
the young Penric working out what he could and should do rather than
only reading of the older Penric well-rooted in society.