Demon of the Air by Simon Levack

Demon of the Air is a debut mystery. It is set in Mexico in 1517, near the end of the Aztec empire. The main character, and detective, is Yaotl, a slave and former priest. Yaotl is slave to Lord Feathered in Black, a chief minister to Montezuma (the emperor.)

The story begins on the day of a great sacrifice to the God of War. Yaotl has been asked to attend the sacrifice as an escort to a special sacrificial victim. When things go wrong, Yaotl expects trouble, possibly even death. Instead, Montezuma tasks him with finding the whereabouts of a group of missing sorcerers.

Despite the grim nature of human sacrifice and slavery, Demon of the Air is anything but grim in its execution. Yaotl and the people with whom he interacts are all portrayed in a way that makes their actions seem reasonable, and the humor in the book helps to overcome the grim premise. Levack has done years of research on the Aztecs, and this book benefits from his knowledge of their beliefs and practices. I enjoyed Demon of the Air; it was fast-paced and entertaining, and the unique setting was a bonus.

Levack has written a followup, The Shadow of the Lords, that came out in September, 2006.

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