Johannes Cabal the Detective [Paperback]

Jonathan L. Howard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 12, 2011

Johannes Cabal returns in this fearfully funny and terrifically twisted tale of murder and international intrigue . . . five thousand feet off the ground.
 
When an attempt to steal a rare book turns sour, Johannes Cabal, a necromancer of some little infamy, finds himself in a foreign prison awaiting execution. A crafty plan -- as horrific as it is cunning -- allows him to steal the identity of a government official and make his escape aboard a luxurious aeroship heading out of the country. But what should be a perfect getaway rapidly becomes complicated by the bizarre disappearance of a passenger, an attempt on Cabal's life, and an unwelcome face from the past. Trapped aboard with a killer, can even Cabal's open-razor of a mind save him?
 
Full of twists, turns, sword fights, archenemies, newfangled flying machines, narrow escapes, and, of course, resurrected dead, Johannes Cabal’s latest eldritch escapade is a Ruritanian romp from first to last.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A swashbuckling mystery set in a steampunk world.”—Denver Post 
 
"Cabal, the detective and necromancer, is full of charismatic amorality, making him both a classical, and refreshing antihero."—TimeOut, Chicago 
 
"Definitely entertaining, a cut above many books out there."--Free Lance-Star
 
“Silly, erudite, and part a playful modern variant of the locked door murder mystery.”—The Huffington Post 
 
 

About the Author

Jonathan L. Howard is a game designer who notably co-scripted the first three Broken Sword adventure games. He is the author of the novel Johannes Cabal the Necromancer. He lives near Bristol, England, with his wife and daughter.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Anchor; Reprint edition (July 12, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767930770
• ISBN-13: 978-0767930772
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,107 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A stellar sequel, tightly plotted and full of dark humor, July 15, 2010

By 

Silea (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Johannes Cabal the Detective (Hardcover)

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer was an amazing novel, and this one is a fantastic second in the series. Everything that is good about Necromancer is better in Detective. The plot is tighter (with no dangling Chekov's Gun like the first book). The characters stay true. The world is richly detailed. And best of all, the pacing is perfect. You may read this book in a single sitting just because it never gets slow and never gets rushed.

Johannes Cabal, a necromancer of some infamy, is attempting to return home with some ill-gotten goods when he becomes entangled in a murder-mystery aboard an airship. Somewhat unwillingly, he turns his sharply analytical mind to unraveling the plot, so long as it doesn't endanger his escape. And because life is never simple, his pseudo-nemesis from his past train adventure, Leonie Barrow, happens to be on that same ship. Hilarity, hijinks, and murder ensue.

The one marked divergence from the first book is that Detective has a bit of steampunk in it. This is not a steampunk-centered book, to revel in the mystical technology, but the descriptions of some of the machines are quite interesting. Beyond the contrived replacement countries to fill out Eastern Europe, this addition sets Cabal's world as clearly different from our own (ignoring, of course, the necromancy).

Reading the first book is not necessary for reading this one, as the relevant bits of plot are quickly and efficiently rehashed as necessary, but i don't know why anyone would deprive themselves of the pleasure of watching these characters develop.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In Which Cabal Tries a Different Genre, July 26, 2010

By 

Timothy Riley "Illogically Logical Book Fan" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Johannes Cabal the Detective (Hardcover)

"Johannes Cabal the Necromancer" was without a doubt my favorite book I read last year. The humor, the characters, the wonderful writing... rarely do I find a book that I enjoyed as much as it. The mixture of horror and comedy tropes blended so well together by Mr. Howard that I couldn't put the book down until I finished it. It is with some regret that I have to say that this sequel, while keeping the comedy firmly intact, disregards the horror tropes almost entirely.

In this novel, Johannes Cabal (a necromancer of some little infamy) finds himself in a bit of a predicament. He's stolen a book that could be quite useful for one in his trade and is on the run from a government that is, to put it lightly, not entirely pleased with his recent actions. He takes the identity of a civil servant and boards an aeroship the Princess Hortense so as to make a quick, and more importantly, unobserved getaway. Unfortunately for Cabal, not a night goes by without him running into someone who is well aware of his true identity and guarantees that he will be exposed once their destination is reached. As if matters couldn't get any worse, someone decides to make a nuisance of his or her self and commit a murder in an extremely puzzling way so that it catches Cabal's sense of curiosity.

What follows afterwards can only be described as a comedic steam punk detective story. Now, I'm a fan of both the detective and the steam punk genres, and a combination of the two is something I'm utterly delighted to see... but it still wasn't what I was looking for here. I didn't expect to see Cabal's carnival again, but I was expecting a little more necromancy and horror in the continuation of a story about a necromancer.

After I got over this disappointment though, I must say I did enjoy myself. Cabal is still snide, sarcastic and a joy to read. The humor of the first book is steady throughout this novel and the interactions of the characters is a delightful. While not as good as the first book, I can still honestly say that I enjoyed it and look forward to Cabal's return in a third novel.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good mystery, October 6, 2010

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Johannes Cabal the Detective (Hardcover)

Caught trying to pilfer a particularly dangerous book on necromancy, Johannes Cabal finds himself in the hands of a would-be dictator in whose mind dances scenes of martial glory. Cabel escapes via an aeroship (a sort of steampunk flying ship, not to be confused with a dirigible), and hopes that all he has to do is keep his head down and get across the border. But, when a man is murdered in a locked room, Cabal's scientific mind goes into gear, trying to get to the bottom of it. And if he thought he was in danger before, he has not seen anything yet!

OK, where do I start? I liked Johannes Cabal the Necromancer, which was an off-beat blend of comedy and horror. This book eschews the humor and aims to blend defective fiction and horror, with a splash of steampunk thrown in. Sadly, it doesn't quite make it.

The steampunk angle of the story is rather tangential, and could easily have been edited out with no change to the story whatsoever. Necromancy only makes two appearances in the story at all, and again they could easily have been edited out with no loss to the story. Therefore, what this book truly is is a murder mystery, plain and simple.

As a murder mystery, the book is actually quite good. Cabal is still a fascinating character, and his playing the hero of the story is pulled off quite well. There is a lot of good action and adventure, and I liked the pseudo-Central European/19th century setting. Overall, I rather enjoyed the time I spent with the story.

Now, would I have liked the story better if it had been more like Johannes Cabal the Necromancer? Definitely. But, is it good as it is? Definitely!