Liar's Moon by Elizabeth C. Bunce

genre: young adult fantasy

If you haven't already read Starcrossed, you should.  Then come back and read this review of its sequel, which I liked just as much.

Digger is back in the city and in a heartbeat, she's in back in the thick of things - this time, she's been roped into helping her old friend Durrell.  He's been imprisoned for killing his wife.  Only, he says he didn't.  And Digger believes him.  So with the help of friends old and new, Digger starts to do what she does best - dig.  Dig for information, clues, and not a little trouble.  Soon enough the Durrell's murder case turns into something even bigger and involving way more than just one dead woman.  Why is there traces of magic around Durrell's house?  What sort of work was Durrell's wife INTO, anyway?  The things Digger learns not only bring her closer to helping Durrell but reveal to her how high the stakes really are in a city on the brink of war, where magic is a death sentence.

I am not generally a mystery fan, but this blend of mystery and fantasy really hit the spot for me.  I liked how I never even knew who to believe or what lead to follow.  Digger is still a great and complicated character and Durrell is a charmer, that's for sure. I really do like this fantasy world Bunce has created, all the different moons and their gods - the culture of the city adds to the depth of the story.  I think a few things at the end tidied themselves up a BIT too quickly and nicely - I expected the war to be a bit more a part of it, but I didn't actually MIND that  I was wrong.  And wow, if there was ever an ending to make you want to read more!  I'll be following Digger wherever her story takes her.

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