Linda Suzane, Eyes of Truth

Eyes of Truth

Linda Suzane

Twilight Times, Nov 2004, $16.95

ISBN: 1931201382

In the Kingdom of Naj, natural disasters, murders and plagues are the norm in the remote province of Funara. For the most part when death walks the street of the provincial capital of Dak-Moon, the ruler of Naj, Cojii leaves it up to the locals to deal as best they can although he possesses the gift, like all descendents of the god Insu, of the Eyes of Truth that enables him to detect when someone lies.

Normally the homicide of a gardener would be ignored by the monarch. However the circumstances of the death concerns Cojii as potentially a new illness that drains the blood has arisen; more immediately worrying is that High Magistrate Shoki visiting the area has not reported in four moons as required. He sends his brother Dar to investigate accompanied by retired assassin and expert liar Waulo. Dar quickly realizes the convicted killer of the gardener is innocent. Soon he and Waulo follow a path that leads to Shoki, who apparently is "studying" blood while a plague decimates the pleasure girl population.

Like many epic fantasy tales, the vast cast may seem overwhelming at times even with a character list and the use of one or two syllable names, yet fans will not care once Cojii sends Dar on his mission. The complex entertaining storyline combines a mystery-like investigation and elements of a legal thriller inside a fantasy saga. However, the talent of Linda Suzane is to insure her audience believes in the Gods and their descendents with the abilities to perform the paranormal whether they contain innate lie detector genes or professional mendacious skills.

Twilight Times, Nov 2004, $16.95

ISBN: 1931201382

Harriet Klausner