The Runemaster Homicide by Dan Jolly is the first book in the Demon-Sleuth scrolls series. It is a nice mix between mystery, fantasy and dystopia, with a gamelike vibe and a touch of found family.

We follow Nysska Stonegate in her mission to let humans see that "demons", as they call them, are not what they are rumored to be. The Sethyds are feared by society, yet have been granted land, outskirts of the Valconian Empire, to live after they encountered a disaster which killed more than half of their population and made their lands uninhabitable.

When Nysska saved saving Governor Wendell Anwar's life he offered her a position as an enforcer to help carry out justice for the empire in the Imperial Criminal Investigation Ministry, known as the Thaumetallicon. She is the first ever Sethyd to join the Thaumetallicon and all of her teammembers are humans.

The story starts off rather slow paced, but picks up pacing rather quickly. The worldbuilding and the entire storyline really give game-like vibes, which can be backtracked to Dan Jolly's writing career, as an American author who writes novels, video games, and comic books, and having written for world of warcraft, start trek and the warriors manga.

Along with the forests and its unique inhabitants, we get to know the human settlements, lands and villages. They appear civilized and safe, but the laws that govern them are what create the fear to force humans to behave. Bronze is law, bronze is peace, and if you tresspass the law, your head is put on a stake for the entire village to see. And it's not even a bronze stake, as you're clearly not worthy of it if you can't abide the laws.

"Dwell in peace in the home of your own being, and the Messenger of Death will not be qable to touch you."

Character develpment was also a really big part of the story. I love how I got to see Nysska, seemingly a harsh and feared Sethyd, evolve in her mindset and relations with humans. How she and her teammates grow closer to eachother and each earn the respect and acknowledgement of one another.

When they get sleuthing due to unforeseen circumstances, Nysska really brings her part. She convinces the group to use old fashioned investigative techniques to solve the murder, and along the way they run into all new kinds of issues and problems they didn't expect.  The investigations and discoveries had me on the edge of my seat, they were not all that predictable and I was pleasantly surprised more than once in the story.

And ultimately they all start to question the laws of the empire and really start to take a bigger look at the current laws and situations. The blood lynxes, Jax and Flax, were by far my favorites, followed by their keeper Percy, Nysska and Cam. Each has such a unique and relatable personality, yes even the cats. 

From Sethyds, to Blood lynxes with silver eyes and an intelligence that could rival that of a human, to the seeers, the runes and the tarnished, and, not to spoil anything, but that's not all. This world, which has three moons, is a world with lots of undiscovered and unique inhabitants.

The Runemaster Homicide is perfect for the occasional sleuther, the mystery and murder enthusiast, the lover of fantasy and dystopia, and those who like the mystery of runes. Really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading the second part!