The Bone Thief, The Roshaven Series Book 3
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The Blurb:
The Spice Ghosts have descended on Roshaven accusing Jenni of stealing their sacred bones and are threatening to destroy the city if they are not returned but Jenni the sprite has no idea what they’re talking about.
With the help of her boss, Chief Thief-Catcher Ned Spinks, Jenni promises to find and return them however the skeletal trail leads them into the dark and dangerous waters of the dread Sea Witch.
Ned is out of his depth and frantically treading water while Jenni must fight to avoid becoming catch of the day.
The Sea Shanty:
Excerpt:
Ned Spinks, Chief Thief-Catcher looked in dismay at the pile of reports on his desk. Things were not well in the city of Roshaven.
‘And these are all from this week?’ Ned asked as he gestured at the pile.
‘Yes, Boss.’ Willow, a tree nymph and one of Ned’s catchers, nodded her head vigorously causing her leaves to rustle. ‘There’s been multiple instances of people claiming their magic has been stolen and a report from the Sailor’s Guild that unexpected sea-related deaths have risen sharply.’
‘Have you spoken with them?’ asked Ned.
‘The Guild? No. We thought it was just their standard report –should we have?’ Willow bloomed uncertainly.
‘No, not the Guild – the people who think their magic was stolen.’
‘Not yet, but we’ve set up interviews with some of them this afternoon. But Boss… how can we prove if someone’s had their magic stolen or not?’ she asked.
‘The best thing you can do is find out why they think it’s happened in the first place. See if they noticed a particular sound or smell or even person nearby when they thought it happened. If we can discover a common element between each experience then we might be able to pinpoint where it’s happening,’ replied Ned.
He was mildly concerned. In all likelihood the people who thought they’d lost some magic had inadvertently used more than they expected or had some other ailment that was preventing their ability to cast. But magic skimming, taking small amounts of power from others, was illegal so if these were legitimate claims then the catchers would need to find and arrest the culprit before they caused someone permanent damage. Skimming was dangerous to both parties.
‘Let’s hope it’s kids messing about so we can nip it in the bud or better yet, maybe they all have a nasty cold affecting their casting. See what you can find out.’ He shuffled through the paperwork. ‘Is that everything?’
‘There’s the paper,’ said Joe helpfully. He was Ned’s only fully human catcher, besides himself.
Ned waited for the lad to expand but nothing else was forthcoming so he examined his paperwork pile more closely and sure enough, a copy of The Daily Blag lay between reports. He eased it out of the stack and read out the headline.
‘Death at the Beach.’ He glanced at Joe.
‘There’s a bit more, Boss.’
‘Yes, thank you, Joe.’ Ned stiffened the paper with a flick of his wrists and read on. ‘Towns and villages up and down the coast of Efrana are reporting an increase in mysterious deaths linked to the ocean. Officials are baffled as to why it is suddenly not safe in the water and are urging residents and visitors to stay away from the beach.’ Ned read on in silence but the article lacked any further facts. ‘What do we think – mermaids?’
Both Willow and Joe shook their heads.
‘Sparks thinks someone is communing with an evil entity in the sea, telling them when people are in the ocean,’ said Willow.
Sparks was another of Ned’s thief-catchers and a firefly with many contacts in and around Roshaven due to his huge bug network of friends and relations.
More about The Roshaven Series
The Interspecies Poker Tournament, Roshaven Case File 27
Ned Spinks, Chief Thief-Catcher, has a new case. A murderous moustache-wearing cult is killing off members of Roshaven’s fae community. At least that’s what he’s been led to believe by his not-so-trusty sidekick, Jenni the sprite. She has information she’s not sharing but plans to get her boss into the Interspecies Poker Tournament so he can catch the bad guy and save the day. If only Ned knew how to play!
The Interspecies Poker Tournament, Case 27 of The Roshaven Files, is a humorous fantasy novella following the adventures of Ned Spinks and Jenni, a prequel to The Rose Thief.
The Rose Thief, book1
Someone is stealing the Emperor’s roses and if they take the magical red rose then love will be lost, to everyone, forever.
It’s up to Ned Spinks, Chief Thief Catcher, and his band of motley catchers to apprehend the thief and save the day.
But the thief isn’t exactly who they seem to be. Neither is the Emperor.
Ned and his team will have to go on a quest; defeating vampire mermaids, illusionists, estranged family members and an evil sorcerer in order to win the day. What could possibly go wrong?
The Rose Thief is the first quirky magical mystery adventure set in the Roshaven series of humorous fantasy novels. If you like the wit and humour of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, then you’ll love The Rose Thief.
Fourteen, heir to the Empire of Roshaven, must find a new name before Theo, Lord of neighbouring Fidelia, brings his schemes to fruition.
Not only has he stolen Roshaven’s trade, but he plans to make Fourteen his own and take her empire in the bargain.
Her protector, Ned Spinks, is plagued with supernatural nightmares whilst his assistant, Jenni the sprite, has lost her magic.
Can they figure out how to thwart Theo’s dastardly plan before it’s too late for his city and her empire?
Book Buy Links
The Rose Thief – https://books2read.com/u/bQaxw6
The Silk Thief – https://books2read.com/u/49NJMM
The Bone Thief – https://books2read.com/u/3LRkgD
Interspecies Poker Tournament – https://books2read.com/u/m2Vk0R
About the Author
Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet based in the UK. She wanted to be Lois Lane when she grew up but work experience at her local paper was eye-opening. Instead, Claire went on to work in a variety of admin roles for over a decade but never felt quite at home. An avid reader, baker and Pinterest addict Claire won second place in the Barking and Dagenham Pen to Print writing competition in 2015 with her debut novel, The Gaia Effect, setting her writing career in motion. She continues to write passionately and is hopelessly addicted to cake.
