“A Fun story that immediately sucks you in”
DEATH BY MIRACLE
by fowler brown
Death By miracle
by fowler brown
What is it about?
All persons shall be equal before the law, regardless of divine heritage or status of godhood.
That’s the idea, anyway.
Detective Sophia Akerele deals with the worst of divinity. Instead of chattering on social media about Apollo’s latest pop song, she’s tracing magical weapons to local gangs… until she takes a fireball to the chest.
She expects an afterlife, not a job offer from an international law enforcement agency. The Furies give her a chance to finally make a difference—to return to life with the power needed to tackle the worst supernatural crimes.
Her first assignment: Egypt, where a divine bomb throws her hometown into chaos. Sophia works alongside her cynical new partner, the local police, and an adventurous demigoddess with a doctoral degree in thaumaturgy. But that may not be enough, as she confronts organized crime, sinister gods, and, worst of all, the family she had to leave behind.
Beth’s Review
Right away, you will appreciate Death by Miracle‘s bonkers blend of mythology and modernity. Author Fowler Brown builds a rich tapestry of humans and Godborn children living together under the mandate, “All persons shall be equal before the law, regardless of divine heritage or status of godhood.”
This idea of equality sounds good on paper but gets a bit more difficult to police. This brings me to our main protagonist, Sophia Akerele. A human detective with no powers living in Memphis, Egypt. We start our story with Sophia chasing a Godborn through the streets of Memphis. She is pursuing the Godborn, who has an affinity for fire. Things go awry, and Sophia takes a fireball to the chest, and that is when the true adventure starts.
Sophia is given a job offer from an international law enforcement agency instead of death and the afterlife she expected. She is given a choice to become a Fury and help in ways she could never do before. Sophia doesn’t hesitate even though it means that her soul will be bound to her body. If she dies, no afterlife. The first assignment, find the people who stole the divine bomb before it does irrevocable harm.
This is a fun story. Immediately you are sucked in with the action. Sophia is chasing a perp through the city, evading fireballs, and riding a griffin. I knew right away that this was a story that I would continue reading. I like detective stories, and Brown’s take on a city like Memphis meshed with different mythological pantheons was very original. Sophia was a solid protagonist; I understood some of her character motivations right away. She is dependable and takes doing a good job very seriously. Her partner/mentor is a chainsmoking Fury named Caelistra. She offers an excellent foil to Sophia’s perfectly procedural demeanor.
I am very sad to say that I had to cut this book, though. It was a solid, fun romp. But against the other books in my group, it lacked the breadth and scope we will need from our finalist pick. I can see this book being a massive series of serial detective stories. And in that way, the breadth of the world and Sophia’s story would get more involved. But as it stands for a single book entry, it was just a little light for us.
Once again, let me reiterate that if you enjoy mythology and urban fantasy, this is an excellent book for you! I will be finishing it and reading any other books in the series if Brown writes any more in this world.
Check Out SOME OF OUR OTHER REVIEWS
#SPFBO Review and Cut – The Deathless One by Niranjan K.
#SPFBO Review and Cut – The Hand of Fire by Roland O’Leary
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Beth Tabler
Elizabeth Tabler runs Beforewegoblog and is constantly immersed in fantasy stories. She was at one time an architect but divides her time now between her family in Portland, Oregon, and as many book worlds as she can get her hands on. She is also a huge fan of Self Published fantasy and is on Team Qwillery as a judge for SPFBO5. You will find her with a coffee in one hand and her iPad in the other. Find her on: Goodreads / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter
