Terrier by Tamora Pierce

Summary: The residents of the Lower City are disappearing at an alarming rate (higher than normal, anyway.) Beka's magically abilities lead her Dogs to the culprits.

Title: Terrier

Author: Tamora Pierce

Genre: Fantasy

The Take-Away: Terrier is the first in the Beka Cooper series, but not the first title Pierce has set in Tortall. Pierce's site states that "her world is very different from that of the other Tortall books, the one of knights, palaces, and the nobility." I haven't read any of Pierce's other books, Tortall or not.

I like the mystery tjavascript:void(0) Publishhat engulfs Beka. The set-up as a flashback through journal entries before diving into Beka's actual story was a bit hoky for me, but I could pass that off as potentially intriguing to those that have read the other books. In other words, there's probably a tie-in that I didn't get.

My favorite part of the book was Beka's foil -- her neighbor and romance interest (I'm quite sorry that I'm avoiding his name. I've returned the book to the library and can't find it online.) He's as ambitious to do what's right in the underworld as Beka is to within the Provost's Guard and with her Dogs. It sounds hokey but even thiefs and ne'er do wells have a code of ethics in this series.

Recommendation: If you like a romp through a fantastic world, but not necessarily the straight path through, you'll enjoy Beka Cooper. Since Pierce's books are interconnected, I'm equally sure you'd enjoy delving into her titles if you enjoy related series. This is a grand place to start since it doesn't leave the reader feeling like you are missing something.

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