STEWARD OF SONG

Second entry in the series begun with Singer of Souls (2005), where former drug addict Douglas Stewart fled to Scotland and, thanks to his extraordinary song-magic and ability to know everybody’s true name, became the cruel and tyrannical Lord of the Faerie Realm.

This time, ex-cop Bridie, Douglas’s sister, arrives in Edinburgh to quiz the local constabulary regarding the murder of her grandmother. Problem is, the cops think Douglas committed the crime, along with the murder of a priest. In Massachusetts, meanwhile, the third Stewart sibling, Scott, who was removed from the marines for psychiatric problems (in fact, he has the gift of second sight), finds a baby deposited on his doorstep. Scott can see and choose among various futures, so he knows the baby’s name is/will be Fletcher, Douglas’s son by Aine, the deposed Queen of the Realm. Martes, Douglas’s majordomo, whisked the babe away from his malevolent father and left him for Scott to raise, because a prophesy predicts that Fletcher will destroy Douglas. Unfortunately, all the bad-fairy types in Massachusetts want a piece of Fletcher, and Scott will have his work cut out defending the little tyke. Back in Edinburgh, meanwhile, Bridie—also blessed with second sight—gets a lead on grandma McLaren’s real killers. And what happens when Douglas learns where Fletcher is?

Douglas’s behavior makes little sense—none at all unless you’ve read the previous volume—so once again the appeal is local color, a high gore/spatter index and a vivid narrative.