PAGANS

Reviewed by Steven H Silver

James Alistair Henry imagines a world in which the failure of Christianity to establish itself results in an African hegemony and Europe, particularly Great Britain, is a balkanized area. Pagans is set in a Saxon London which is at odds with the Tribal (Celtic) areas of the west and the Democratic Republic of Scotland to the north. When a dead tribal diplomat is found nailed to a tree, Detective Inspector Drustan of Dumnonia is sent to London to help with the investigation, where he is paired with Saxon Detective Captain Aedith Mercia.

What starts our as a simple investigation of a gruesome murder begins to snowball as other victims are found and the two detectives discover the existence of a small sect called the Fishers that the victims all belong to. The case also turns out to have political ramifications as a Summit is about to begin which endeavors to eradicate the political lines between the Tribal lands, Scotland, and the Saxon kingdoms, with pressure placed on Aedith to resolve the murder case before the Summit occurs.

Henry does a good job with his two main characters, Drustan and Aedith, although at times it feels like he shifts between their viewpoints within the same scene. Occasional tension between them, caused by their differing backgrounds never quite feels realistic given how quickly the two gel as a team. They are also supported by Aedith's sergeant, Agapos, constable, Naeku, and an IT consultant, Banba, throughout their investigation, which allows Henry to give them the manpower the need as well as the technological assist, without making Drustan and Aedith appear to be superhuman.

As the case expands, it becomes more convoluted, but also behind the scenes connections begin to appear, which don't feel quite natural, but put in place in an effort to tie everything together. That isn't to say that Henry doesn't lay the groundwork for the various reveals, he does. They just don't come across as natural when they are revealed. Aedith's family is slowly introduced, her father, Lod, a member of the nobility who maintains a distance from his daughter, her mother who is completely off stage, a brother who has been institutionalized after going on a rampage at school, and an adopted son who doesn't know his own story. Slowly, Henry reveals their histories, which will all play an important, if forced, role in the novel's denouement.

Mysteries often provide the reader with information the reader knows that the detectives must learn. The sect of the Fishers is something that is obvious to the reader even before it is defined by Henry. Although it is described as a unknown sect by most people, when its existence is revealed in the course of the novel, it turns out they have a huge impact and the public backlash against it is almost visceral. At the same time, it allows Henry to present Christianity in a manner which most novels can't, simply because he can present it as an unknown quantity and reveal aspects to his characters as needed.

Henry presents in interesting world, or perhaps part of an interesting world since he focuses so heavily on a backwater corner of his world, only hinting at the more powerful nations, with likable characters. He offers a strong police procedural. His biggest issue is that he attempts to tie everything up with a neat bow, offering a neat solution to the mess of a case he has provided. Allowing some red herrings to peter out and not try to tie up the various criminals together would have made for a stronger work.

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