Books like Four & Twenty Blackbirds (Bardic Voices #4) by Mercedes Lackey

In the world of Alanda, a mysterious magical murderer preys on lower‑class women, striking with a tri‑sided stiletto that is often recovered among church regalia. After each killing, the murderer takes their own life, never being a church official. Tal Rufen, a simple constable who genuinely cares about his work, becomes obsessed when one of these brutal murder‑suicides falls under his jurisdiction. While his superiors shrug off the crimes as routine and dismiss the slain victims as unimportant, Tal Rufen senses that he has only glimpsed a fragment of a much larger, more sinister puzzle. He is determined to uncover the truth behind the killings and the motives that drive the shadowy killer. The story blends elements of fantasy intrigue with an investigative narrative, as Tal Rufen battles both supernatural forces and institutional indifference to bring justice to the victims.

First publish date: 1997