The only real problem I have with that analogy is that the convergence of heroes was put into the Maradaine Elite line and not a different title. As someone who hadn't read the other Maradaine series beforehand, the result was a lot of catching up. That being said, I can understand the decision of not starting a fifth book series for the various joint adventures that will be coming up. Thankfully, Maresca provides a brief recap of the shared universe and it wasn't long before I had a strong feeling for the characters of The Maradaine Novels, The Maradaine Constabulary and The Streets of Maradaine.
So what threat could face the city of Maradaine that will not only cause Dayne and Jerinne, two members of the Tarian Order, to stand up and fight, but also have them join forces with Veranix Calbert, a magic student who is secretly the vigilante known as The Thorn; officers Satrine Rainey and Minox Welling, of the local police force; and two thieving brothers, Asti and Verci Rynax? Simply put, a threat that has been brewing under all of these characters' collective noses for months, and while they have each seen hints of what is going on, none of them know the full picture.
A resurgence in child kidnappings in one of the poorer areas of Maradaine ends up getting the attention of each of the heroes in one way or another. For one, it is because of the drug-related matters surrounding the area, for others it reminds them of other recent events, and for the Tarians, it is because they heard about the problem and can't help themselves but to try and find the missing children. What they end up finding is a far grander problem than any of them have faced before. It's a good thing they aren't in the fight alone.
While some of these characters already know each other, they aren't all familiar with everyone else. Dayne and Jerinne have met Rainey and Welling. The Thorn has worked with the Rynax brothers, and the brothers even know one of Dayne's newspaper friends. The brothers have also had run-ins with enough cops to be familiar with Rainey, but it will take them all running into each other, sometimes at the worst possible moments, for them to end up on the same page and joining forces against the enemy that is threatening Maradaine.
The threat to the missing children isn't the only plot driving the events of People of the City. While Dayne and Jerinne are off in their adventure, fellow Tarian, Amaya Tyrell, has started her investigation of another conspiracy in earnest. She has heard rumors of a new group calling themselves The Grand Ten, named after revolutionaries from the past, and she is determined to figure out if they are real and, if so, who the members of the group are. Unfortunately for Amaya, this will put her in some dangerous positions and with both Dayne and Jerinne out fighting their own battles, she might not have the backup she needs when it counts.
Before People of the City, I was confident in saying that you could pick up the first two books of the Maradaine Elite without having read the other Maradaine series. It was clear that there were some Easter eggs slipped into the books to give those that have read all the novels some fan service, but the lost information was never anything important to Dayne and Jerinne's plot. With this third Maradaine Elite book, that just isn't the case. You can enjoy the story, but you will find yourself in a bit of an uphill battle. While I do recommend picking up People of the City, I would definitely take the time to backtrack and read through Maresca's other series first if you haven't already. I plan to do just that before the next book in this universe comes out.
