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May 21, 2017airyen rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Beka Cooper grew up in the Cesspool slums of Corus, the capital of the kingdom. Her skill at detective and police work got her family rescued and fostered by the Lord Provost, the head of law enforcement of the entire kingdom. Now Beka is entering the Provost’s trade as a Dog (as police are nicknamed for their tracking skills, as well as their non-noble status). She vows to be the best Dog before she's even completed the first year, with her years of learning under the Provost and her undying allegiance to the weak and exploited of the Cesspool slums. It doesn't hurt that she has a touch of magic, speaking to the souls of the dead and picking up whispers from the city winds. Soon, Beka’s on the trail of murders and scams, but people doubt whether her Dog teammates and her own abilities can keep up. The entire world is extremely well-drawn. The world of the Dogs, for their weapons to their ranks to the elaborate systems drawn up around small legal bribes, is realistic enough that it could be today. Beka’s trilogy imagines a kingdom before the patriarchal norms of chivalry have fully set in, so things like child slavery and lady knights are accepted, if not common. The author deals with these issues in sensitive ways while still drawing in representation.