I read two books that feature this trope, but didn´t quite scratch the itch.
The first one was Witness for the Dead, where the protagonist Celehar can touch corpses to see their last moments before death. As a cleric/detective, he investigates murders und seeks testitution for the dead.
I liked Celehar being oath-bound to specific actions, being uncompromising but kind and forgiving at the same time.
However, he was also very passive. I would have loved to see some rightful vengance enacted in the name of the wronged dead. The protagonist was not allowed to lie. His trauma and the general slice-of-life style of the book made him a bit stale for my taste. I just wanted him to DO something!
The other one was Three Parts Dead, where a young necromancer/law firm associate has to revive a dead god to satiate all those he owed power to and keep his city from falling apart.
I loved Tara as a character – active, ambitious, wickedly competent – and the worldbuilding in this series.
However, this story is about a dead god involved in old wars and the like, not a wronged mortal person that was powerless to achieve justice for themselves. Would love something with a more personal angle.
If you know anything that fits or almost does, please let me know. Thank you! 🙂
by EberhartEberbehaart