Cover of Johannes Cabal the Detective

Johannes Cabal the Detective

Johannes Cabal seriesbook 2 of 5Next:The Fear Institute(2011) →

Johannes Cabal, necromancer of some little infamy, returns in this riotously clever and terrifically twisted tale of murder and international intrigue.

Read more

In this genre-twisting novel, infamous necromancer Johannes Cabal, after beating the Devil and being reunited with his soul, leads us on another raucous journey in a little-known corner of the world. This time he's on the run from the local government.

Stealing the identity of a minor bureaucrat, Cabal takes passage on the Princess Hortense, a passenger aeroship that is leaving the country. The deception seems perfect, and Cabal looks forward to a quiet trip and a clean escape, until he comes face-to-face with Leonie Barrow, an enemy from the old days who could blow his cover. But when a fellow passenger throws himself to his death, or at least that is how it appears, Cabal begins to investigate out of curiosity. His minor efforts result in a vicious attempt on his own life—and then the gloves come off.

Cabal and Leonie—the only woman to ever match wits with him—reluctantly team up to discover the murderer. Before they are done, there will be more narrow escapes, involving sword fighting and newfangled flying machines. There will be massive destruction, not to mention resurrected dead . . .

Steampunk meets the classic Sherlockian mystery in this rip-roaring adventure where anything could happen . . . and does.

From the Hardcover edition.

Audience
adult
Length
medium · 304 pages

Click a tag to see books like this one that share it. Point at it (on a phone, tap it) for less of it instead.

Read it? Sign in to help tag it.

Liked Johannes Cabal the Detective? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked Johannes Cabal the Detective. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

  1. The Bite on the Line Shares fantasy, steampunk, humor
  2. Lye Street Shares fantasy, steampunk, sci-fi fantasy
  3. The Osiris Ritual Shares steampunk, fantasy, mystery
  4. The Domino Men Shares fantasy, steampunk, fiction

“People who read Johannes Cabal the Detective tend to reach for these next.”

  1. The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man
  2. Camera Obscura
  3. Leviathan Rising
  4. The Kingdom Beyond the Waves

“If you want more of the same (fantasy about gothic), start with these.”

  1. The Queen of Swords
  2. Devil's Tango
  3. The Elfin Ship
  4. City of Hope & Despair

“If it was the steampunk that hooked you, try one of these.”

  1. The Invisible Library
  2. The Aeronaut's Windlass
  3. Scar Night
  4. Mourning Cloak

“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

  1. The Heretic
  2. The Necromancer's Betrayal
  3. Heraclix & Pomp
  4. The Aunt Paradox