In the tenth part of Bloodhound, TOO MUCH IS HAPPENING. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Bloodhound.
Okay, I can already tell that there are a ton of clues and developments I missed here, so let me break this up so I can chronicle the details. Y’ALL, I’M NOT EVEN HALFWAY THROUGH THIS BOOK AND IT’S BEING RIDICULOUS TO ME.
The Moneychangers
One of my favorite devices for framing a narrative is when the main character’s discovery of a new world is ours as well, so it was really satisfying for me to see how Bloodhound is unfolding. Port Caynn and its many neighborhoods and districts are new to Beka as much as they are to us, so I’m glad that we’re seeing things through her eyes. The justification for how much detail she provides for the reader works so goddamn well, too! She has to be overly detailed so that her own reports can be more accurate. Anyway, her first duty on her first full day within Port Caynn is to enter the Goldsmith’s Bank and exchange a bunch of money from Corus for copper and gold bits in the local currency.
AND SHIT GETS REAL IMMEDIATELY. I couldn’t believe how quickly this got suspenseful, AND THEN THE SECTION ONLY GETS WORSE AFTER THIS. I was actually very proud of Beka here because this was as much a test of her ability to track as a scent as it was a test for her shyness. Look how quickly Beka calls the moneychanger out on her knowledge of the silver coles! That’s incredible to me, and then I have to consider that she’s also in an unfamiliar place amidst strangers, and she was still able to do her job. Incredible!!! Through this, she learned that the guild was aware of the problem with the silver coles and had taken magical precautions to protect themselves. Hell, it’s not just that, though. The moneychanger bribed Beka with a full gold bit, which is a HUGE bribe. If they were willing to spend so much for a bribe, exactly what did they know that makes this worth it?
The Thief
Because this clearly isn’t enough, Beka then exits the building and spots a pickpocket in action, which provides Beka with another test. What exactly is she supposed to do if she catches someone breaking the law in another city? Does she obey her normal Dog duties, or are they complicated by her mission? Beka actually doesn’t have all the answers, but she knows she can’t just let the pickpocket get away with it. But then everything just gets continually stranger. First, Beka is knocked to the ground by the thief’s runner, but only after the thief hands over what she stole. WHICH… THAT’S NEVER HAPPENED IN THIS SERIES BEFORE? We’ve never seen a Rat willingly give up what they stole, have we? I admit it frightened me, too, since I knew that Beka was in a new city and was far less safe than she’d ever been. (OH GOD I HAD NO IDEA HOW TRUE THAT WAS.)
But when she returns the purse to the man who had it stolen, he very clearly lies about it being his bag. Unfortunately, Beka isn’t able to get the purse back, but she does deduct that it was most likely full of coles. WHICH MAKES NO SENSE. And this is a primary part of the mystery at hand, one that I freely admit has me puzzled. It doesn’t make sense for anyone to flood Port Caynn (and Corus) with so much fake money because it’ll eventually backfire on them anyway. Everyone will suffer if the coles ruin the currency in this country, so why do it? Just because you can? To intentionally sow chaos?
The Spy
AND THEN BEKA REALIZES THAT SOME LITTLE KID HAS BEEN FOLLOWING HER. WHAT THE FUCK. Who???? Who is this kid??? Why is someone following them so soon after they arrived???
Hanse Remy
AND THEN. (I feel like that’s the only proper way to describe what happens here. AND THEN THIS, AND THEN THIS, AND THEN….) The wonderful (but incredibly suspicious) Hanse Remy shows up, charming Goodwin and Beka into dinner, and everything is so complicated. Is this the right Hanse? Should he be trusted? Is it worth it for them to go to Merman’s Cave so early into their trip? Is it worth it for them to maintain some semblance of a friendship with the man? ARE THERE REALLY MERMEN IN THIS BOOK?
Isanz Finer
WAY INTO THE FINERS AS CHARACTERS. Shit, I wasn’t expecting for Isanz to immediately ask about the coles once he was alonge with Beka and Goodwin. But the Master Snapple Turtle reveals something even more complexing about this mystery: he already told the Day watch commander about the coles. This isn’t news to him, since he himself has seen some of the coles. So, the problem is worse than Beka and Goodwin thought it was, and it’s clearly not being addressed at all by the Dogs or the guild. Why? Why would they hesitate on this? I totally understand the need to keep this a secret, of course, but this appears to be going beyond that. Is it a coverup of some sort?
I seriously don’t know, but perhaps Isanz’s brilliance will be able to locate the source of the silver used for the coles. It’s a start, but it’s not really a bad one. And this meant that I got to meet the Finers, even if it was mostly Isanz. THEY ARE SO FASCINATING. It’s a family business, a legit one, lead by this snapping turtle of a man who has a history with Goodwin, and it’s just so ENTERTAINING.
I still can’t believe all this happened ALREADY.
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