The Witness For The Dead by Katherine Addison

 

Thara Celehar is a witness for the dead.  He can touch a recently dead person and know their last thoughts.  After losing favor at court, he now lives in a small town and works for the common people.  His newest case is that of the murder of an opera singer.  Thara learns that she was not a woman that people liked; she was vindictive, a thief and a bully.  But he doesn't judge the dead; he just serves them.  

Along the way to the solution to the singer's case, Thara has other cases.  He discerns the last wishes of a man whose family found two wills with differing inheritances.  He discovers a man who is marrying and killing women who are plain but who have money.  He quiets a ghoul, one of the more dangerous duties of his office.  Ghouls start by feeding on the dead but always eventually move on to live victims.  Each case gets Thara's best efforts as he serves his calling.

Katherine Addison is a best selling fantasy author.  This book is the first in the Cemeteries Of Amalo series.  Readers will enjoy Thara's quiet manner, his determination to do the best with his talents that he can and the variety of cases he encounters.  This book is recommended for fantasy readers.