Happily, Rosemary and Rue, the first published novel by Seanan McGuire, is more than pretty good. (Full disclosure: Seanan's a friend, but I'm trying my best to not let that affect my judgement.) R&R is the first book featuring private investigator October Daye. October - Toby to her friends - is a changeling, daughter of a human father and a powerful Daoine Sidhe mother. In the Prologue, a case goes horribly wrong, with disastrous consequences for Toby. When we see her again, she's abandoned her career and withdrawn from all her friends, scraping by in the human world, wanting only to be left alone.
You can't, as the song says, always get what you want. An old friend (if that's the right term), Evening Winterrose, Countess of Goldengreen, is murdered, and uses a dying curse to force Toby to investigate and bring the killer to justice. (Which means Evening is Sidhe Who Must Be Obeyed, Daoine think?) So the story is both urban fantasy and a detective story, and succeeds at both.
The things that most matter to me in a book, that draw me in if done well, are world building, characterization, and humor. McGuire is strong in all of those areas. Toby's fae-riddled San Francisco, and the Faerie lands and courts she visits, are rich with detail, often beautiful, sometimes frightening. There are different races, and mixes of races, at every turn, and McGuire has obviously not only done plenty of research, but thought about the personalities and interactions within this diversity. (I hope that at some future point, she explores the politics of pure-blood vs. mixed-blood lines within the courts.) It gave me a moment's pause when I encountered a Kitsune among this mostly European-derived population, but then, if the Sidhe could cross the Atlantic and the North American continent, why couldn't a Kitsune cross the Pacific?
The characters are varied, interesting, and often sympathetic. Toby herself is, by turns, noble, prickly, snarky, guilt-ridden, smart, and very, very foolish. I don't know that I'd ever care to meet her, but I liked reading about her, and by the end, I cared what happened to her. And there are a number of supporting characters I'll be happy to encounter again.
The humor comes mainly from the snark. A number of the characters, Toby in particular, know how to turn a funny/sarcastic phrase. I didn't actually laugh out loud until I read Tybalt's note in the preview of A Local Habitation, the second Toby book, but I smiled and chuckled several times. It's a welcome bit of leavening in what's often a grim story. (I admit, however, to a bit of skepticism that a Selkie noble, who has apparently lived his entire life in the Summerlands, would use the word "semiprofessionally" in casual conversation.)
Another strength is the richness of Toby's backstory. As of the start of this book, she's already had a tumultuous, accomplished life. She has a set of friends, enemies, and those in between who'll no doubt continue to affect her life. A number of past events are alluded to, with the indication that we may learn more about them in future books.
Finally, R&R is about more than the detective plot. It's about re-establishing connections, dealing with guilt, and (to steal a phrase from the book) finding the way home. This adds a depth, a feeling of meaning, that far too many series books lack.
R&R isn't a perfect book. McGuire (via Toby's first person narration) sometimes includes recaps of what's just gone before, which isn't necessary. I wish Toby had been a bit more active at times, less willing to have others tell her what to do. (Granted, there were reasons for it, but still.) I wanted to know more about (excuse the vagueness) how the villain of the piece knew about the existence of the MacGuffin and performed a key bit of magic. I didn't quite accept the delay in following the final key piece of evidence.
But the bottom line is simple: I'm going to buy A Local Habitation when it comes out next March. I want to spend more time getting to know October Daye and her world. Which is more than I can say for either Harry Dresden or Sookie Stackhouse.
(NOTE: Rosemary and Rue has an official on-sale date of September 1st. My local Borders put it out early.)
