This delightful little book from Slave Labor Graphics, under the aegis of the mysterious Data Analysis Keep, features 17-year-old Agnes Quill, a detective for the supernatural world. When she was 7, both of her parents succumbed to an outbreak of influenza. At their funeral, the spirit of her grandfather appeared to her and told her of her legacy: she has the ability to see and communicate with spirits. Oh, and that she inherited a castle in the heart of the Victorian city known as Legerdemain.
The stories told in this book are illustrated by several different artists, with disparate styles. It was fun to follow
Agnes through the adventures and see how each artist would interpret
the city, characters and her work.
In the first story she helps the spirit of Beatrice Osteri recover an heirloom strand of pearls from her mummified head before her treacherous nephew absconds with it. Beatrice actually has a pretty good time on their adventure and sticks around to help Agnes from time to time. Other stories have Agnes investigating unexplained power outtages and discovering and coming to the aid of a race of people who must live underground, helping a man battle his zombiefied ex-girlfriends and freeing the spirit of a 7 year old boy who was trapped by a lonely, but malevolent ghost. Agnes is no nonsense and resourceful, but still managing things with the help of Mr. Lorick.
At the back of the book, there are more drawings by different artists, excerpts from her diaries and short bios of the main characters. The book is more suited to a rainy or foggy day, but was still loads of fun on a glorious spring afternoon.
