Book Review: Relentless Melt by Jeremy P. Bushnell

What a delightful mindbender of a historical mystery novel! Relentless Melt starts out feeling as atmospheric and lived-in as any other well-researched entry in its genre, before introducing a fantastic horror element so seamlessly as to make you think that perhaps the events in this book did happen, or at the very least could plausibly have done.

Our viewpoint protagonist, Artie Quick, is a shopgirl at Filene’s Department Store, but her real interests lie in criminal investigation. Unfortunately, that isn’t the kind of instruction generally offered to women in early 1900s Boston. In order to get into the only class on the subject that she can both find time for and afford, she has to dress in men’s clothing and pretend to be a young man. During the very first session, she strikes up a rapport with the teacher, Professor Winchell, who commends her intellect and encourages her to participate in class more. She’s thus crushed to return the following week to find the rest of the course indefinitely postponed.

Her best friend, Theodore Reed, is also pursuing an unusual education, though his calling is in the magical arts. His parents are rich and often absent, allowing him to cultivate wide-ranging interests and an equally diverse circle of friends. Seeing how down Artie is about her class cancellation, he invites her to come visit his own teacher, W. D. Gannett, and see if magic is something she might be interested in as an alternative. Gannett is, however, oddly discouraging:

Something inside her crumples a bit. She wasn’t even sure that she wanted to take instruction from Gannett–she’s still not sure that learning magic is exactly how she wants to be spending her time–but she wanted to at least have the option to decline the opportunity. Having the opportunity taken away from her stirs up, once again, that grinding sense that the world isn’t fair. She’s angry, and more than that, she’s afraid–afraid that she’ll always have to jump through a hoop to get any version of what she wants, to get even the most minor scrap of knowledge. 

But Gannett doesn’t doubt her because of her sex. His concerns have more to do with the hypocrisy of the society they live in that will gladly pay to see a young woman take the stage as his assistant one night, then protest the exposure of delicate young ladies to leering audiences the very next day, transferring perverse intentions to the showman himself in the process. At least, that’s why he claims to be distracted during their interview. Something is off, though. Artie and Theodore will soon discover what, as their attempts to practice the few techniques they’ve learned from their teachers, lead them to a shocking discovery about how the two men are connected, and how that bond could imperil their entire city, if not the world.

This was such a terrific blend of speculative fiction and historical mystery! I actually exclaimed so loudly during one scene that my husband, who was several rooms away, called out to ask if I was okay. The twists are deeply unexpected and dreadfully clever. I am already rooting for a sequel, if not an entire series.

A large part of this is due to how awesome Artie is. Clever and inquisitive at the start, she also proves herself to be the moral heart of the proceedings, as she and Theodore decide how best to infiltrate a guarded facility:

“No,” Artie says sharply. “I don’t want to hurt anybody. There has been enough suffering–there have been enough suffering women–involved in this mess already. I don’t want to do more harm.”

 

“Even if it was part of taking steps to stop this problem? You could argue that there’s a greater good to be considered–”

 

“No,” Artie says. “That’s the kind of logic that [those men] used–that some people’s lives were okay to destroy.”

 

“To protect the city, though.”

 

“That doesn’t matter,” Artie says. “I mean, yes, I understand why they did it, but nobody–no man–should put themselves in the position of being able to choose who gets to be protected and who has to be sacrificed. Who has to suffer. That’s wrong.[“]

Jeremy P. Bushnell specializes in writing smart, sharp urban fantasy: having him turn his lens to historical mysteries serves to bring to the forefront the many ways that past societies failed their peoples, and how we in the modern day can correct those mistakes through building better communities of our own. Following along as Artie learns to navigate her identity provides readers with a thoughtful exploration of gender in a book already packed to the gills with action, mystery, and social commentary. I very much hope to read more of Artie’s adventures in the hopefully near future.