Trade Reviews

Glover continues her loosely connected “Murder & Magic” series with this follow-up to The Improvisors. Cynthia Rhodes is an arcane engineer at NASA, helping achieve the goal of reaching the moon. When a series of accidents befalls her project, Cynthia notices the involvement of a dangerous magical curse, the same one that afflicted a magical museum curator. Cynthia teams up with her grandparents’ former assistant turned arcane archeologist, Theodore Danner, with whom she works to get at the heart of an ever-expanding and ever more deadly mystery. All roads lead to an unparalleled treasure rumored to be connected to a famous musician. As Cynthia and Theo race against an enemy who is willing to kill to obtain the treasure, they will need to use all their knowledge, both magical and otherwise, to save the day. The action is enough to keep the plot moving without overwhelming the story, while the cameos by characters from previous books will tickle fans and invite newcomers to seek out the earlier titles.

VERDICT Glover’s ability to weave and construct historical events within a layer of magic is astounding and entirely believable; this is another absolutely wonderful installment in her series.

Weaving celestial magic into the history of the first crewed NASA flights, the elaborate fourth installment in Glover’s Murder and Magic series (after The Improvisers) pits Black aerospace engineer and mage Cynthia Rhodes against a conspiracy to stop the latest space launch. Super-genius Cynthia, who sleuths in her spare time, is game to tackle the mystery and enlists the investigative help of Prof. Theo Danner, an eminent marine archaeologist and her cohost on a children’s educational magic program. Cynthia and Theo pry into the secret labs at her NASA research center as well as “the most enchanted house in D.C.” to figure out who is responsible for a recent museum theft, what is making a new rocket fuel synthesized from a legendary alchemical mixture fail explosively, and how these things may be connected. As this central mystery grows ever more tangled, readers may have difficulty following along. Fortunately, Glover fills out the stage with domestic drama, the civil rights protests of 1964 America, and budding attraction between Cynthia and Theo, all of which keep the pages turning even in the more convoluted moments. Fans will be pleased to see Glover’s alternate history expanded into a new era.

Glover returns to the alternate 1930s America of her Murder and Magic series in this thrilling spin-off, an intoxicating blend of mystery and fantasy. Velma Frye’s days as a bootlegger of forbidden magic are behind her, and she now divides her time between performing high-flying aerial stunts and working as an investigator for magical rights group the Magnolia Muses. Trouble arises when a magic-fueled fight over a pocket watch breaks out after one of Velma’s air shows. She learns the pocket watch is one of many enchanted objects that have been causing unexplained violent incidents across the country, including one that led to a woman’s death. Velma sets off to locate the rest of the dangerous artifacts and gains an unexpected travel companion, the annoyingly charming journalist Dillon Harris. Dillon’s inquisitive nature and skills as a spellcaster prove useful for Velma’s investigation, and together they discover that the enchanted objects are part of a deadly conspiracy with unexpected ties to Velma’s family. The complex mystery keeps readers on their toes and the pages flying. The colorful cast, unique magic system, and slow-burning, enemies-to-lovers romance between Velma and Dillon add to the fun. New readers and returning fans alike will devour this.

Velma Frye, aviator and magical investigator, finds herself in a deeply personal and intricate magical crime conspiracy. After picking up an enchanted pocket watch that initiated a heated brawl at one of her flying shows, she heads home for some advice. To her surprise, other magically tainted objects have been stolen from her family’s inn and are causing havoc and death throughout the United States. These objects are associated with a mysterious and deadly incident that happened at the inn in the 19th century. Flying coast to coast in her plane, she and nosy reporter Dillon Harris seek to find the objects as well as the story behind what happened at her family home all those years ago. But other shadowy and more pernicious characters are looking for the objects too and are set to unleash a possible magical apocalypse if obtained. This spin-off from Glover’s “Murder and Magic” series is a perfect stand-alone but will whet readers’ appetites to delve into Glover’s other books.

VERDICT Fantasy fans and steampunk enthusiasts will enjoy Glover’s astounding, creatively envisioned Prohibition-era United States, where magical and historical events intertwine in a thrilling plot full of adventurous characters.

Glover’s latest is a standalone set in the world of her Murder and Magic series (starting with The Conductors, 2021), this time set in the 1930s. Velma Frye is an African American aviator in the early days of flight. She’s also a magical investigator, and when a fight breaks out at one of her air shows, Velma leaps into action. Mysterious items seem to be provoking discord all over America. Luckily Velma’s got an airplane, a family that includes the protagonists of Glover’s previous novels, and a nosy reporter who is more helpful than he appears. The Improvisers is packed with action, family drama, and even some romance. The plot is fast-paced and varied and Velma is a protagonist who feels realistic and accessible. There are lots of great characters, including a librarian named Lois, but Dillon Harris, Velma’s rival and companion, stands out as a foil to the famed aviator, often saving and annoying her in the same paragraph. Velma and Dillon’s back-and-forth banter is reminiscent of classic screwball comedies and contrasts delightfully with the complex mystery at the center of the story.

Recommended for fans of books that mix magic and historical fiction, like Justina Ireland’s Dread Nation (2018) or Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light (2021).

Inventively mixing mystery, magic, and alternate history, Glover’s nail-biting debut takes readers to Reconstruction era Philadelphia. Henrietta “Hetty” and Benjamin “Benjy” Rhodes—both adept at sigil magic that draws on the constellations—are famed conductors for the Vigilance Society, which shepherded enslaved Black people to freedom along the Underground Railroad. Stories of their trips into the South are legendary in their Philadelphia community even a decade after the Civil War.

Now, Hetty and Benjy use their magical and analytical skills as detectives, dealing with missing person cases, murders, and other crimes the white police force chooses to overlook. But when one of their friends turns up dead and their suspicions fall close to home, they’ll need to work out who in their community is not who they say they are.

The pace is relaxed but the tension steadily builds as Glover weaves each detail into a satisfying mystery. Frequent flashbacks to Hetty and Benjy’s thrilling exploits as conductors on the Underground Railroad reveal how Hetty’s tough choices during the Civil War led to her life today. Readers will be surprised but gratified by an ending that shows just how past actions inform the present in unexpected ways. Glover is a writer to watch.

Booklist

Most fantasy novels don’t begin with fugitive slave ads, and most fugitive slave ads don’t warn of dangerous magical practitioners. But Glover’s debut defies many expectations.

The protagonist, Henrietta Rhodes, is a no-nonsense private investigator and fixer in an alternate version of Philadelphia. With her husband of convenience, Hetty uses powerful magic and deductive reasoning to protect her free Black community. But when confronted with a mystery of dark magic and murder that shakes their foundations, Hetty needs to look for outside help.

The Conductors juggles a lot of elements, including segregated magic systems, romance, a large cast of characters, and several deep, dark secrets. Hetty and Benjy’s relationship as they work together to find out more about the crimes is a highlight of the novel, as is the constellation based magic system that Hetty and her friends use. The magical Reconstruction setting should appeal to fantasy and history buffs alike, especially for fans of Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark (2020) and An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole (2017).

Library Journal

DEBUT Set at the end of the Civil War, this magical first novel follows Hetty and Benjy, runaways who ferry people to safety from slavecatchers, as well as solve crimes, often with the aid of celestial magic. Chapters alternate between Hetty and Benjy’s life in Philadelphia aiding people in finding lost loved ones, and Hetty’s journeys on the Underground Railroad, with Benjy in tow, to find her sister Esther. When an acquaintance whom they previously rescued from slavery is found dead in an alley, the novel turns into a murder mystery. Glover’s intricate writing succeeds in bringing Hetty and Benjy to life, and shines as members of their social circle become suspects. While later chapters are at times meandering, the story gains momentum as Hetty aims to uncover if this murder, and others that follow, is a coincidence or part of a pattern. Along the way, she discovers that Benjy has secrets of his own, as do several of her friends. Along with celestial magic, sorcery comes into play, often coming back to haunt Hetty and Benjy, especially at the suspenseful ending.

VERDICT Blending historical fantasy and mystery, this fast-paced debut with predominantly Black characters will engage fans eager for a combination of each.

Library Reads – March 2021

Hetty and Benjy meet as Underground Railroad conductors, settling in Pennsylvania where they’re known for their celestial magic. Glover does an incredible job of world building in this supernatural mystery. Her cast is almost exclusively Black, and the characters are rich, with Hetty and Benjy’s relationship showcased as a lovely progression of romantic ideals. For readers of N.K. Jemisin and Victor LaValle.

Publishers Weekly

Glover’s charming sequel to The Conductors digs deeper into the captivating Black society of a post–Civil War Philadelphia that’s infused with celestial magic. Magical married detective duo Hetty and Benjy Rhodes have enjoyed a quiet life of late. Their new funeral home isn’t seeing much business and their most recent case, involving fires spontaneously sparking in their neighborhood and claiming the life of Raimond Duval, resolved almost too easily—until Raimond’s son, Valentine, also dies, and questions about an old mission from Hetty and Benjy’s days as conductors on the Underground Railroad resurface. Overnight, what seemed a simple investigation turns into a cryptic cipher the couple must puzzle through. Layers of intrigue and tension build into a gripping whodunit, while drama within Hetty’s group of friends and tender moments between Hetty and Benjy offer juicy character beats. The easy momentum will keep both new and returning readers racing along to the end. It’s fun, twisty, and richly detailed.

Library Journal

The sequel to Glover’s historical mystery/fantasy The Conductors picks up where it left off with magic-practicing detectives Hetty and Benjy, a Black formerly enslaved couple in post–Civil War Philadelphia who have recently become undertakers. As in the first book, Hetty is haunted by ghosts of the past and the disappearance of her sister, but this time there is something else unfolding—a series of fires throughout the city, followed by the mysterious deaths of Raimond Duval and his son. As they search for a link between the fires and the Duval deaths, Hetty and Benjy learn of a false spell book that may have fallen into the wrong hands, and it becomes clear that someone from their past is on their trail. Characters from The Conductors return and new ones are introduced, but Glover’s latest can be read as a standalone.

VERDICT Glover has written another fast-paced story of luck, fate, and betrayal. Readers will be engrossed by its celestial magic, hidden tunnels leading to unexpected places, and cliffhanger ending.

Hetty Rhodes never met a problem she couldn’t solve. And when she gets into trouble, her husband, Benjy, calms her down and helps her out. But the couple has never faced so many crises at once. There are murders, of course. And arson. A few secret societies. Don’t forget an unintelligible cypher that could lead to a fabulous treasure. Although The Undertakers is the sequel to The Conductors (2021), it works well as a standalone book.

The novel covers multiple interconnected mysteries with humor and warmth. It also expands the cast of characters that fill out the Rhodes’ found family and the city of Philadelphia, making the city feel like a character itself. A constellation-based magic system is heavily featured (especially in the many action scenes), and recalls the use of stars by enslaved people as navigational aids. Hetty and Benjy’s camaraderie is the real star of the show, no matter how many spells they fire off at assailants. The Undertakers’ historical fantasy vibe will appeal to fans of Alyssa Cole’s Loyal League series and Maurice Broaddus’ Buffalo Soldier (2017).