Even Though I Knew The End

Hardcover, 136 pages

English language

Published Nov. 18, 2022 by Doherty Associates, Tor.

ISBN:: 978-1-250-84945-8

(2 reviews)

A magical detective dives into the affairs of Chicago's divine monsters to secure a future with the love of her life. This sapphic period piece will dazzle anyone looking for mystery, intrigue, romance, magic, or all of the above.

An exiled augur who sold her soul to save her brother's life is offered one last job before serving an eternity in hell. When she turns it down, her client sweetens the pot by offering up the one payment she can't resist—the chance to have a future where she grows old with the woman she loves.

To succeed, she is given three days to track down the White City Vampire, Chicago's most notorious serial killer. If she fails, only hell and heartbreak await.

2 editions

enne📚 reviewed Even Though I Knew The End by C. L. Polk

4 stars

This is a very sapphic queer 1940's noir detective novella set in Chicago; it follows Helen Brandt who is sucked into one last case with a payment she can't resist. I love all of the era-appropriate diction and dialogue; the whole story felt like the gritty internal monologue of a detective radio play. I just enjoyed this all quite a bit: the characters, the writing, the tone, the backstory and worldbuilding reveals, and the final action (even though I knew the end).

This story also gave me a lot of similar vibes to The Chosen and the Beautiful. Even though they're both from different eras, they're both stories in specific American time periods with magic and soul selling.

mikerickson@bookwyrm.social reviewed Even Though I Knew The End by C. L. Polk

Review of 'Even Though I Knew the End' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

As far as books that I bought simply because I liked the cover/title/quick blurb when I saw it in the store, I've certainly done worse before. Maybe I should've spent a little longer researching it though because this book wasn't at all what I was expecting to be, and that's entirely on me.

I was very into the first third or so of the book: a woman detective in noir Chicago scopes out crime scenes and dips into secret lesbian speakeasies with some loose magical elements floating around the fringes. But then the magic started getting impossible to ignore and went full-blown Constantine with angels vs. demons and Deus ex Machina scenes. Kinda wished the supernatural elements stayed subtle, but that's a personal preference. I also got the sense that the protagonist was just kind of swept along by events happening around her and only made a significant decision at …

As far as books that I bought simply because I liked the cover/title/quick blurb when I saw it in the store, I've certainly done worse before. Maybe I should've spent a little longer researching it though because this book wasn't at all what I was expecting to be, and that's entirely on me.

I was very into the first third or so of the book: a woman detective in noir Chicago scopes out crime scenes and dips into secret lesbian speakeasies with some loose magical elements floating around the fringes. But then the magic started getting impossible to ignore and went full-blown Constantine with angels vs. demons and Deus ex Machina scenes. Kinda wished the supernatural elements stayed subtle, but that's a personal preference. I also got the sense that the protagonist was just kind of swept along by events happening around her and only made a significant decision at the climax. A little more agency on her end would've been appreciated.

Still, at 130-ish pages, this was the correct length for this kind of story. If Goodreads allowed half-star increments, I'd probably put it at 2.5, but I'll round up because lesbians.

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