Thieftaker

The Edrin Loft Mysteries #1

by Jon Evans

Librarian Note: This is the re-titled alternate cover edition of ASIN: B074RTD3DT.
The original (The Mutilated Merchant) is here.

Can the first detective in Kalider find the man who murdered a seemingly innocent shopkeeper?

Edrin Loft has just been promoted to Captain and been assigned command of the notorious Old Gate Watch House and its infamous collection of personnel. Their moniker? The Thieftakers. Their job? Pursuing the dregs of society through the meanest streets of Kalider, the capital of Denethria, the once preeminent country of the Shattered Empire. 

But Loft is a new breed of Watch officer. He wants to modernise the Watch using reason and science to identify criminals and bring them to justice. His last investigation should have proved his methods work but politically, it was a disaster. The commanders of the watch have found a solution to deal with this troublesome young officer with no grasp of politics. They reward him with a promotion and a dead-end command over the most disruptive members of the Watch, putting him firmly on the sidelines, away from the most prestigious Watch Houses and the most important citizens. After all, what harm could he possibly do in charge of the recalcitrant rabble that comprises The Thieftakers?

Out of sight and out of mind was certainly their intention but perhaps they've handed him the only Watch House in the city with officers capable of applying his methods. The men and women of The Thieftakers are tough, with little to lose and even less regard for the preening ways of their colleagues at other Watch Houses. Best of all, they have more experience pursuing the most dangerous and cunning criminals, in the deadliest parts of Kalider, than any other members of the Watch. 

Within days of taking over his new command, Captain Loft is given the ideal case to test his methods. A local spice merchant, murdered in the most horrific fashion and with no obvious culprit. Can The Thieftakers rise to the occasion and catch this brutal killer before the trail goes cold or worse, he kills again? Loft's methods are completely out of Sergeant Gurnt's comfort zone. She's a veteran of the Watch and sceptical about his methods. Can he prove his ideas work and win her over?

211 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2018

About the author

Jon Evans was born in Portsmouth, England and has worked in a fabulously dull series of jobs, none of which constitute a career. While doing these jobs the dream was always to become a writer and there were many false starts and unfinished projects.

With his brother James, he writes military science fiction in the Royal Marine Space Commandos universe. With the launch of Fleet in April 2021, there are now six books in the main series beginning with Commando which kicks off The Deathless War. They're also (slowly!) publishing a series of short stories about Marine X a.k.a. Ten - a fan favourite character with a colourful past.

With co-author Paul Teague the brothers have the By Strength and Guile trilogy, written in the same universe and time period and dealing with a special forces mission to combat a new foe, who inconsiderately reveal themselves while The Deathless War is raging.

Thieftakers is the first book in his renaissance fantasy series that will explore the life and adventures of a group of outsiders, assigned to the least desirable Watch posting in their city. Edrin Loft has plans to revolutionise the City Watch of Kalider and must prove his methods if he's to make headway. The Thieftakers are a rough bunch of misfits, whose only role is to chase the very dregs of society, where other members of the Watch fear to go.

The Edrin Loft Mysteries will be an ongoing series of novels and novellas based in Kalider, once the capital city of what is now known as The Shattered Empire. Once the series is well underway, there will be an epic fantasy series that deals with events on the macro scale, affecting the whole Shattered Empire. Currently this series is on hiatus while Jon works on the military science fiction series, but he intends to resume it once time permits.

He now lives in Cardiff, where his surname fools people into thinking he's a local.

You can follow the author's work at www.jonevansbooks.com

Reviews

[Susan Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first Edrin Loft mystery

For a first book, this was an encouraging beginning. May I suggest a better editor? The punctuation, lack of, and a few misspelled words were just a bit off-putting. That is why only four stars. I find it difficult to get truly involved in a book of there are such obvious errors. Perhaps it happened when the written word is translated into an e-book.

The characters were interesting and I can see much room for further developments. The relationship between Captain Loft and Sergeant Gurntz could become quite entertaining.

The storyline is fascinating! Although this book is fantasy, not historical, I can almost see how our own police procedures and investigative processes came about. There was a definite need for results when serious crime was getting out of hand and criminals released due to not enough evidence. Good plotting, Mr. Evans! Looking forward to more Edrin Loft mysteries!

[Layne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A group of misfits that are easy to like at the start of Forensics.

A typical group of misfits set in something like the Roman era but in a different time and place. A new officer assigned that wanted to bring a more disciplined approach to investigating. The chars are fun to watch as they go about trying to keep their new Officer alive and themselves out of trouble.
I initially brought the book because of the Title and the cover. Couldn't decide between 4 or 5 tars but gave it the benefit. I 'll get the next one just to see if it gets any better and how the relationships evolve.

[Terry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very much enjoying this read but was disappointed with about the last 20%. All along, we think Edrin Loft is the first forensic evidence collector and thinker. But the climax came down to a literal fight, not a fight of wits and thinking through the evidence.

[Bob Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Excellent book, well passed with great characters. Looking forward to the next already so pleaee Jon put pen to paper