Beggar's Banquet

Fanuilh #3

by Daniel Hood

Liam possesses a wizard's familiar - a dragon called Fanuilh - but he's not a wizard himself. He's also solved a few crimes though he's no detective. Yet when a priceless family heirloom is stolen from his business partner, the local magistrate immediately turns to Liam for assistance.

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Dragons, Science Fiction Fantasy

293 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

These do be getting better and more complex. TO THRIFT BOOKS!

ALSO Grantaire and Liam had better fuckin end up together 😤

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 3.5 This mystery had many interesting suspects and the addition of the involvement of more than one wizard. Liam has just begun a partnership in shipping to give himself some purpose and structure when the story opens yet he is tempted into taking on another mystery. Liam uses his analytical mind and judge of character to lead the reader through the mystery in a fascinating way. I continue to love the Aedile with his jests, openness, honesty, great love and command of his city, and his great respect of his perceived infallibility of "Queastor" Rhenford. Although I solved the murder before Liam, there was a second mystery and danger that totally blindsided me and was brilliant. There is a bit of a hint at things forthcoming at the very end of the story as well. I have had to get these books through Interlibrary Loan due to their age but I am thinking of buying them used instead because I have enjoyed the series so much!

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fantasy and mystery elements are almost equal in this somewhat convoluted story. During the winter celebration of The Beggar's Banquet a long hidden jewel comes to light, and is then stolen. Liam must find the jewel and the thief to stave off a potential war between the towns beggars and thieves.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these books when they first came out, and I'm having just as much fun reading them the second time (plus after 20 years I've forgotten the plots). Great characters and setting. The mystery elements blend very well with the fantasy.

[Yani G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these stories. :D

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unsuccessful shipping merchant, Mistress Thrasa Priscian has entered into partnershp with Liam Rhenford, who has many maps of lands undiscovered by the locals. However the endeavor is delayed (at least through this book) when a priceless jewel is stolen from the home of Mistress Priscian and Liam is asked to investigate.

And yet another installment in the Fanuilh series. I liked this one the best of the three so far though I'm not sure if I will be continuing the series. I enjoyed these three but I read them too close and I am presently sick of this society and our hero.

I continue to have an issue with the speach of this society. Check out this sentence:

"Fine lords and ladies like me not, and don't like me either, if you see."

Did you have to read that 2 or 3 times? I did and I'm on the third book of this series and should be used to the weird dialect of these people but sometimes it still throws me. The entire series is peppered with this way of speaking and it really slows down the reader as you definitely need to stop and decipher the meaning each and every time.

I enjoyed the mystery and though Liam is always totally confused it has been simple for me, the reader, to figure out who the bad guy/gal is with simple powers or deduction. But it is fun to watch Liam stumble through the journey again and again. I like the little dragon familiar too though he is really not very prominent in the story.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up at a secondhand bookstore because the quirky style on the back promised an entertaining book, and if it wasn't, well at least it was cheap. And it was quite an entertaining book! I didn't realize that it was part of a series, and only really knew that by looking at the other books written by the author. I like the fact that it works as a standalone story, and also that if you have read the others you just have a little more backstory for this one.

The mystery is nicely done, and while I had an inkling at the beginning who had done it, it was still fun to follow Liam around and watch him draw conclusions. I didn't know about the killings though, so that was an interesting one to figure out. And now I'd like to find the other books and see if the subplot of the wizard's guild is a full series mystery, because it sounded really interesting.

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

There really isn't enough police procedural in fantasy fiction, and I liked this one because it also has some upper class issues thrown in (police are wary of the theft because the suspects are all titled or rich: no one would get thrown into prison because they can invoke the laws protecting them from incarceration).

As a mystery it's not too complicated. I knew who the criminal was the moment he was introduced, but the characters were interesting enough to make up for it.

Also, there's a mini dragon without a sense of humour.

[Fatbaldguy60 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book.

[Coleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great!

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

entertaining