by Steven Brust
First published 2008
Vlad's marriage has crumbled and the Jhereg want him dead. He runs to Fenario to find his family, the Merss clan, in the paper mill town of Burz. The place stinks from the factory, but that's not the worst problem. Nobody will help him locate his relatives. When he says the name Merss, locals act like he's making threats. The town has no witches' coven, which every Fenarian settlement should have. The Guild controls everything instead of protecting craftsmen like it should. Vlad can't figure out what's wrong with this place. Then something horrible happens. Now he has to solve a mystery in foreign territory without his usual resources or allies. He's operating alone in a world that doesn't make sense to him.
Genres: fiction, adventure, mystery, fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, mystery
Setting: Fenario, Burz
304 pages · Kindle Edition · Doherty, Tom Associates, LLC