COMEUPPANCE SERVED COLD by Marion Deeds – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Comeuppance Served Cold by Marion Deeds
Published by Tordotcom on March 22 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 192
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Intricately plotted with nuanced characters, Comeuppance Served Cold is a fun heist story with plenty of surprises.

What a nice surprise this was! Comeuppance Served Cold is a wonderful mix of magic and Jazz Age elements, a heist story that takes place in 1929 Seattle. Marion Deeds has captured the essence of the era, and I loved her bold female characters who are not about to conform to the wishes of the men who are trying to control them. There is a lot going on for a novella length story, but it was masterfully written with never a dull moment.

Dolly White has come to Seattle in search of a job, and she’s hoping to be hired as a companion to socialite Fiona Earnshaw, a young woman whose drinking and wild ways don’t befit someone who is about to be married, at least according to her father. Helping Fiona is only the first of many things Dolly has come to Seattle to do, though, as the reader is about to find out. During a few short weeks in November of 1929, Dolly will make the acquaintance of a variety of characters, including a bootlegger, a blind tattooist, shape shifters, a couple of star-crossed lovers, and several unsavory men who have no idea just who Dolly is—or what she’s capable of.

The story jumps back and forth from the present to different points in the past, and at first this format was a little confusing, but it didn’t take long to figure out what Deeds was up to. At first we’re presented with a bit of a mystery. An unknown, mask-wearing woman exits a room, leaving a dead body behind. Next we jump back in time a couple of weeks to Dolly’s job interview. From there, it becomes clear that Dolly herself is the biggest mystery in the story, and as each chapter unfolds, the reader learns exactly what Dolly is up to. This method of storytelling doesn’t always work, but here it mimics the intricate game Dolly is playing and made the story so much better.

The 1929 time period is perfect for the story. Deeds includes period details like a speakeasies and prohibition, but adds magic to the mix with a character who is trying to make magic illegal for the lower classes. He’s also trying to persecute shape shifters, who in his eyes aren’t much better than animals. I’ve always loved mysteries set in the 1920s, because there are oh so many opportunities for secrets and lies, and the author uses this to her advantage by populating her story with characters who don’t always tell the truth.

Also true to the time period is the elitist attitude the rich have towards anyone considered to be “lesser” than them. Ambrose Earnshaw, the Commissioner of Magic, is a terrible man who has something nasty to say about anyone he considers beneath him, including Dolly, who has deliberately worn mended clothing to her interview in order to throw off her employer. His dialog smacks of racism, not only when talking about people of color, but his attitudes towards shifters. One of the characters, Philippe, is a Black shifter, so you can only imagine what Earnshaw has to say about him.

The worldbuilding is fascinating and surprisingly fleshed out for such a short story. Deeds mixes up all sorts of standard fantasy elements like magical tattoos, shifters, gem magic, even references to the fae (although not in the story, one of the characters has a past experience with them), with bootleggers, grifters, and murder. It’s a great combination that isn’t necessarily unique, but is made better by the characters.

And speaking of characters, I absolutely loved Dolly. She’s a multi-layered character who is full of surprises, which are revealed little by little. Dolly doesn’t have any magic of her own, but that doesn’t stop her from getting what she wants. By the time all the pieces of Dolly’s plan are revealed, I couldn’t help but cheer for her, especially when everyone in the story who deserves it gets their “comeuppance” at the end.

Other favorite characters were Violet, a bootlegger with a heart of gold who only wants to protect her shifter brother, Philippe; Gabe, Philippe’s blind boyfriend who has a gift for creating magical tattoos; and Fiona, who seems at first to be nothing but a flighty socialite but later turns out to have a good amount of grit and a sense of humor.

The ending is delightfully shocking, and Dolly eventually reveals a secret that gives new meaning to the title of the book. I do not know if Marion Deeds is planning to make this a series, but I can say that I would love to follow Dolly on many more adventures.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.