In a darkly magical city, guilds vie with thieves, nobles and outsiders for power as disaster looms. RJ Barker is a critically acclaimed and award-winning British author, and this is his most unique and page-turning tale yet. For all those who loved Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.

He can speak to the dead. But the living want him silenced . . .

Irody Hasp’s unique gift is his curse: he reads the final thoughts of the dead. But a routine reading of a lowly records keeper implicates him in a vast, high-level conspiracy. Then the unthinkable happens: his own apprentice is brutally murdered and Irody is framed for the crime. As he stumbles deeper into a web of magic and betrayal, he draws the attention of the City of Elbay’s most powerful and ruthless figures.

With the city’s corrupt elite closing in, Irody has just one chance to clear his name and expose the truth. No Mortedant is popular, but the uncompromising Irody is even less popular than most. So he’s forced to rely on unlikely allies: Mirial, a cunning street urchin, and Whisper, one of the enigmatic sea people. As this unlikely trio unearths Elbay’s darkest secrets, they discover a city where lives are expendable and every faction, from guilds to nobles to thieves, battles for control. Three insignificant outsiders must fight not just for their lives, but for everything their people hold dear – and the fate of their magical city.

Praise for RJ Barker

‘Reveals its mysteries with the style of a magic show and the artful grace of a gifted storyteller’
Nicholas Eames

‘A splendid fantasy work, full of RJ’s trademark invention. Highly recommended’
Adrian Tchaikovsky

‘A fascinating, compelling novel . . . epic themes, epically strange worldbuilding, and excellent action scenes’
Locus