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Murder by Magic
Murder by magic? Impossible! No one has cast a lethal spell on the witch world for millennia. Death magic requires too much power, and it violates the sacred Odes of Hearth and Home.
Welcome to Meklos Prime, motherworld of the humanoid Meklavite Union, a star-faring civilization where women dominate society and maintain their power by psionic witchcraft. But there are limits to the craft. Not every witch has a full range of powers, and psi-mages obey an ancient, ethical code of non-aggression.
Suddenly, the unthinkable becomes a deadly reality. Countess Yabreya-Eyerpadon dies by a burst of unknown energy. And her human-Meklavite niece, Star Lawyer Tienna Quraish, is the only witch of her generation powerful enough to cast the killing spell. She also stands to inherit the lands, aristocratic rank, and vast wealth of her deceased aunt. Naturally, the bewitching Tienna gets blamed for everything.
The whole Star Lawyers organization stands ready to defend their colleague Tienna and stabilize the relationship with Earth’s important ally. But thousands of years of rule by Meklavite women make efforts of Tyler and J.B. problematic. So, Tyler’s bio-energetic, British barrister wife, Suzie, leads a team of female Star Lawyers who step forward on behalf of Tienna and the Commonwealth. Tyler entrusts the case to his wife and agrees to stay behind at the Institute. Then he promptly recruits a second team and shadows Suzie to Meklos. The battle goes domestic when she catches him in the act.
Blazing duels between psi-mages. Fiery courtroom battles and shots traded with pirates. Multiple murders. Spies, assassins and backstairs conspirators. Rebellion among Mek colony worlds. And a surprise romance.
As her powerful psionic gifts unfold, the hauntingly beautiful Tienna must unleash her legal and magical craft to battle unseen forces attempting to rip Meklavite society apart.
This one is a ride to a world with two suns, hot winters, and a battle of the sexes that will keep you reading past bedtime.
Welcome to Meklos Prime, motherworld of the humanoid Meklavite Union, a star-faring civilization where women dominate society and maintain their power by psionic witchcraft. But there are limits to the craft. Not every witch has a full range of powers, and psi-mages obey an ancient, ethical code of non-aggression.
Suddenly, the unthinkable becomes a deadly reality. Countess Yabreya-Eyerpadon dies by a burst of unknown energy. And her human-Meklavite niece, Star Lawyer Tienna Quraish, is the only witch of her generation powerful enough to cast the killing spell. She also stands to inherit the lands, aristocratic rank, and vast wealth of her deceased aunt. Naturally, the bewitching Tienna gets blamed for everything.
The whole Star Lawyers organization stands ready to defend their colleague Tienna and stabilize the relationship with Earth’s important ally. But thousands of years of rule by Meklavite women make efforts of Tyler and J.B. problematic. So, Tyler’s bio-energetic, British barrister wife, Suzie, leads a team of female Star Lawyers who step forward on behalf of Tienna and the Commonwealth. Tyler entrusts the case to his wife and agrees to stay behind at the Institute. Then he promptly recruits a second team and shadows Suzie to Meklos. The battle goes domestic when she catches him in the act.
Blazing duels between psi-mages. Fiery courtroom battles and shots traded with pirates. Multiple murders. Spies, assassins and backstairs conspirators. Rebellion among Mek colony worlds. And a surprise romance.
As her powerful psionic gifts unfold, the hauntingly beautiful Tienna must unleash her legal and magical craft to battle unseen forces attempting to rip Meklavite society apart.
This one is a ride to a world with two suns, hot winters, and a battle of the sexes that will keep you reading past bedtime.
444 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 11, 2025
8 people are currently reading
1 person want to read
About the author
Tom Shepherd
30 books41 followersTom Shepherd flew medical evacuation helicopters in Vietnam, where he received two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Air Medal, and the Purple Heart. He has worked as a Japanese linguist, public school teacher, and graduate school instructor. Shepherd is originally from Reading, Pennsylvania, but lived in Alaska, Germany, Indochina, and the Republic of Korea. He spent the balance of of his professional career working with churches in the Deep South, California, and the Midwest and serving as Professor of Religious Studies at Unity Institute near Kansas City, Missouri. Author of a wide array of
articles and nonfiction books, plus more than twenty plays and two novels for the middle grades, Dr. Shepherd “retired” in 2016 to write novels full time.
Star Lawyers is his new series, which readers have described as “Star Trek meets Law&Order.” Tom Shepherd lives with his wife, Carol-Jean, and their genial pit bull, Riley, in Tucson, Arizona.
articles and nonfiction books, plus more than twenty plays and two novels for the middle grades, Dr. Shepherd “retired” in 2016 to write novels full time.
Star Lawyers is his new series, which readers have described as “Star Trek meets Law&Order.” Tom Shepherd lives with his wife, Carol-Jean, and their genial pit bull, Riley, in Tucson, Arizona.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 12, 2025
The lust for power is by far one of the most dangerous urges in human history. Be it in government, work related, relationships or for whatever reason. And generally devastating.
In gender based differences the acrimony can be particularly venomous As Tienna discovered when visiting Meklos Prime and got arrested for murder.
But being a highly rated and potent witch, had repercussions all of its own as well.
Author Tom Shepherd in Murder by Magic certainly brings that acrimony home in all sorts of ways no one could have foreseen.
It also keeps one nailed down trying to envisage and live through some very strange standards of living where magic as well as gender based government is a fact of life.
Enjoy.
In gender based differences the acrimony can be particularly venomous As Tienna discovered when visiting Meklos Prime and got arrested for murder.
But being a highly rated and potent witch, had repercussions all of its own as well.
Author Tom Shepherd in Murder by Magic certainly brings that acrimony home in all sorts of ways no one could have foreseen.
It also keeps one nailed down trying to envisage and live through some very strange standards of living where magic as well as gender based government is a fact of life.
Enjoy.
August 24, 2025
If there is one thing to know about Tom Shepherd, he is incredibly consistent as an author. When he releases a new book, I drop everything and get it and read it. And I lose a lot of sleep; I find that I cannot put the book down as I have truly bonded with the characters. I am so caught up in the story, the adventure, the ups and downs of the gasp-evocative roller coaster ride, that I am truly sleep deprived until I finish it. But, oh my, what a great read!
In Murder by Magic, Book 9 of the series, off we go to Meklos Prime, a planet ruled and governed by women, where magic is common at some level to nearly all the females. But not the males. Leave it to Tom to challenge a human condition we live in and flip it on its side to make a statement. And he does.
But that is the sub-rosa thread in Murder by Magic. The real problem is a death, in fact, by murder, caused by witchcraft, where an innocent person is being charged with the crime. And there is a political vendetta at play that involves money, power, and politics. And there is a revolution a-brewin' that could lead to a real civil war, amongst many planets and star nations. So the stakes could not be higher, as not only is Star Lawyer Tienna Quraish facing this capital crime where the penalty is death, but so is her mom. And there are a lot of other innocent victims who are potentially in harm's way, too. And just to add a little spice, Tyler Mathews the IV, has troubles with his wife, Suzy, as she has to take the lead on this case - Meklos won't allow a male lawyer to defend Tienna, or do anything else officially. But that has never stopped Tyler before. We get a lot of depth and understanding of Tyler that we have not seen previously in the SL saga, as he is faced with a wedding that he cannot get out of if he wants to save Tienna. But he doesn't want to marry again.
It's all hands on deck, with good people you wouldn't expect, bad people you suspect but can't prove until you keep reading, and the misguided, and a lot of innocent victims as the stakes could not be higher. Can the Star Lawyers save the day one more time?
Like a fine wine where the vintage only improves with age, Tom keeps delivering the goods in these books. I have read them all, and from the psionic mage battles and the edge-of-your-seat constant action and battle scenes, to the spicy subjects and the underlying moral tenets, you absolutely cannot beat the world-building, the character development, and the storytelling in Murder by Magic. When I want to escape into the world of Star Lawyers, the characters are not characters anymore; they are people I know and care about.
There is no substitute for good, quality writing. And when the author has internal consistency not only throughout the entire series but through the prequel series too, which is part of the solution in Book 9, well, you don't get better than that.
The Star Lawyers series is a pinnacle of modern science fiction. This is a must-buy recommendation. Just some friendly advice, though: Start at book 1. And be prepared to read all the books in the series, because I guarantee you'll need to.
In Murder by Magic, Book 9 of the series, off we go to Meklos Prime, a planet ruled and governed by women, where magic is common at some level to nearly all the females. But not the males. Leave it to Tom to challenge a human condition we live in and flip it on its side to make a statement. And he does.
But that is the sub-rosa thread in Murder by Magic. The real problem is a death, in fact, by murder, caused by witchcraft, where an innocent person is being charged with the crime. And there is a political vendetta at play that involves money, power, and politics. And there is a revolution a-brewin' that could lead to a real civil war, amongst many planets and star nations. So the stakes could not be higher, as not only is Star Lawyer Tienna Quraish facing this capital crime where the penalty is death, but so is her mom. And there are a lot of other innocent victims who are potentially in harm's way, too. And just to add a little spice, Tyler Mathews the IV, has troubles with his wife, Suzy, as she has to take the lead on this case - Meklos won't allow a male lawyer to defend Tienna, or do anything else officially. But that has never stopped Tyler before. We get a lot of depth and understanding of Tyler that we have not seen previously in the SL saga, as he is faced with a wedding that he cannot get out of if he wants to save Tienna. But he doesn't want to marry again.
It's all hands on deck, with good people you wouldn't expect, bad people you suspect but can't prove until you keep reading, and the misguided, and a lot of innocent victims as the stakes could not be higher. Can the Star Lawyers save the day one more time?
Like a fine wine where the vintage only improves with age, Tom keeps delivering the goods in these books. I have read them all, and from the psionic mage battles and the edge-of-your-seat constant action and battle scenes, to the spicy subjects and the underlying moral tenets, you absolutely cannot beat the world-building, the character development, and the storytelling in Murder by Magic. When I want to escape into the world of Star Lawyers, the characters are not characters anymore; they are people I know and care about.
There is no substitute for good, quality writing. And when the author has internal consistency not only throughout the entire series but through the prequel series too, which is part of the solution in Book 9, well, you don't get better than that.
The Star Lawyers series is a pinnacle of modern science fiction. This is a must-buy recommendation. Just some friendly advice, though: Start at book 1. And be prepared to read all the books in the series, because I guarantee you'll need to.
August 19, 2025
Who Killed Tienna’s Aunt ? . . .
Meklos Prime is a female-dominated society which uses psionic witchcraft where the powers are different among all of the witches. Normally, they follow an ethical code of non-aggression. But when Countess Yabreya-Eyerpadon dies by means of unknown energy, her niece, Star Lawyer Tienna Quraish, is automatically assumed to be the killer since her skills make her one of the few who would possess power strong enough to cause death. Her guilt is further implied because she is the one in line to inherit a great deal of wealth, rank, and land with her aunt’s death.
The Star Lawyers organization is willing to defend Tienna. But because of the female-dominated society, Tyler’s barrister wife, Suzie, and a team of female Star Lawyers will be the professionals representing Tienna. Tyler is to stay behind, but instead forms his own team and secretly follows his wife to Meklos. Needless to say, Suzie is not pleased when she finds out what he has done. Chaos reigns. But where will it lead?
Meklos Prime is a female-dominated society which uses psionic witchcraft where the powers are different among all of the witches. Normally, they follow an ethical code of non-aggression. But when Countess Yabreya-Eyerpadon dies by means of unknown energy, her niece, Star Lawyer Tienna Quraish, is automatically assumed to be the killer since her skills make her one of the few who would possess power strong enough to cause death. Her guilt is further implied because she is the one in line to inherit a great deal of wealth, rank, and land with her aunt’s death.
The Star Lawyers organization is willing to defend Tienna. But because of the female-dominated society, Tyler’s barrister wife, Suzie, and a team of female Star Lawyers will be the professionals representing Tienna. Tyler is to stay behind, but instead forms his own team and secretly follows his wife to Meklos. Needless to say, Suzie is not pleased when she finds out what he has done. Chaos reigns. But where will it lead?
August 24, 2025
This book was so worth waiting for. Tienna Quraish arrives at Meklos Prime to find herself being arrested. Trumped up charges, for one who has just arrived. She calls Star Lawyers to help clear her. And since this is a society led by women, Tyler, J.B. And the rest of the guys are put on the back burner. But guys never listen to their wives. Tom Shepherd, you have done a wonderful job of continuing to explore the fascinating world of the Star Lawyers as they continue to evolve. Thanks for such a great read. And your tidbits of the next book in this series just hurts me that I have to wait to find out what is going to happen next.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews