Thraxas is still enjoying the fruits of his previous labours and isn't particularly looking for a new case to work on so it's a bit of a surprise when he finds himself looking into the murder of a celebrated sculptor who was found in his workshop with the knife of his apprentice buried in his back and his latest masterpiece he had just completed has gone missing. A somewhat surprising complication as it was on the large side and there was no time to remove it manually between the artists death and the discovery of the body. Neither was there any magic residue found at the scene. If Thraxas can find the statue then it might also lead him to the murderer. The case is further complicated when Thaxas disturbs a couple of red robed monks rooting through his office and is later visited by an abbott of a rival sect who explains that they are both in need of a likeness of Saint Quatinius, which the missing statue is, for an upcoming important religious ceremony.

This is the 2nd book in this comic fantasy series with plenty of recurring characters and expanded world-building to continue to explore. It's not a laugh out loud type of humour but it will bring out the odd smile now and again. It's a fast paced tale with plenty of twists for the mystery element for the reader to enjoy. It's not up there with the masters of the genre but it does offer up a pleasant enough diversion from the more serious fantasy I've been reading lately and I'm more than happy to continue on with the series at some point. ( )

A much more enjoyable and compelling read than the first one, this one I had trouble putting down until I finished it. It's a good thing I read it while on vacation.

Now that the world, it's rules and characters have been established, it feels like the author is having a lot more fun with them this time around and it tells.

I found the mystery much more compelling this time, and loved all the twists and additional story lines and really enjoyed the way he tied them all together and up in the end.

I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from this series. ( )

not something I would buy new but a workmanly piece ( )