A Murder of Mages (Maradaine Constabulary)

After reading [b:The Thorn of Dentonhill 22668755 The Thorn of Dentonhill (Maradaine, #1) Marshall Ryan Maresca https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1416434165l/22668755.SY75.jpg 42170959], I was sufficiently interested to try another book by the same author, but I was rather startled to find that this one is a significantly better novel, written for adults, with characters that are more vivid and engaging.It's a murder mystery with touches of magic, although magic is not central to the story.Maresca seems to place all his books in the same setting (the city of Maradaine), which reminds me a bit of Ankh-Morpork, although it's more serious, less bizarre, and inhabited only by humans.We have a hero and heroine, Minox Welling and Satrine Rainey, aged 26 and 34 respectively (I think), both of them Inspectors Third Class and partners in the Constabulary; and they immediately have a serial killer to deal with. They're interesting characters, and not sexually interested in each other, although they respect each other professionally.Welling has a pedantic way of speaking (and indeed thinking) that's mildly humorous, and it works well as light relief from the serious story, which is gripping and quite exciting. I'd say Welling and Rainey are the best features of this novel.The city of Maradaine is a bit grim and not very appealing, but it is at least imagined and described vividly, in considerable detail, and we even get street maps.This is in some ways a pretty good book, but it suffers from three flaws (as I see it):1. The serial killer, when eventually identified, turns out to be insane, which I think weakens the story: it would be more satisfying if he had some rational motive for it all.2. Both Welling and Rainey push themselves very hard, working on under constant pressure despite insufficient sleep, frequent injuries, and personal worries. Bearing in mind that this continues in the sequels, I struggle to believe that they could really maintain sanity and functionality when subjected to endless physical and mental stress at this level. Furthermore, I find it tiring myself, as a reader.3. The magic in this series is arbitrary and unbounded: the author sets out no theory of magic, no rules that it has to follow. I find that disappointing. It means that he gives himself an endless supply of get-out-of-jail-free cards: magic can do whatever he wants it to do at any given moment.