People of the City

August 3, 2020
The high-stakes final chapter in Maresca’s multiheaded Maradaine fantasy saga (after The Fenmere Job) brings together the heroes of all four series set in the medieval city of Maradaine for a world-saving escapade. Corruption within civil and religious organizations, encompassing everything from ballot tampering to murder, has stirred unrest in the city, and now children are being stolen from the streets. As rumors fly, Maresca’s heroes set to work. Inspectors Minox Welling and Satrine Rainey believe the kidnappings are tied to corruption within the Constabulary, while costumed vigilante The Thorn—Veranix Calbert by day, a magic student at the University of Maradaine—fears the abductions are connected to the drug dealers he hunts. Tarian Order warriors Dayne Heldrin and Jerinne Fendall are ready to fight to protect the innocent, while Asti and Verci Rynax, the proprietors of Rynax Gadgeterium, are determined to uncover the truth. All are drawn together in the ancient tunnels beneath the city, where a villainous cult called the Brotherhood plots to overrun Maradaine with evil. Maresca’s doughty heroes remain sturdy as ever, and the story moves with lightning speed. Fantasy adventure fans will enjoy this action-packed thriller, and series readers will be gratified to see all the pieces come together. Agent: Mike Kabongo, OnyxHawke.

October 1, 2020
The Maradaine Elite, a phase of Maresca's ambitious Maradaine Saga (beginning with The Holver Alley Crew, 2017), which spans 12 books across four interconnected series, reaches its climax in People of the City. The heroes of Maradaine have been facing off since spring against various nefarious elements in the city, most intricately linked to the Brotherhood of the Nine. In that time, the protagonists have simultaneously stymied some of the Brotherhood's plots and likewise been obstructed themselves. Now in the autumn, the various bands of heroes find themselves in a last, desperate fight to prevent a combination of magic and technology from conquering Maradaine. As some of the city's champions meet for the first time, the expected cases of mistaken identity result, with heroes fighting each other as everybody races to rescue kidnapped children who are sequestered in the newly discovered underbelly of the city. This epic adventure is hard to put down, leaving readers curious about the future progression of these characters while smoothly setting up the next adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)