An ambitious lady fighter with a double murder to solve. A charming prime suspect who might save her life—or ruin it.

Officially, Tinsa Gaurjo is a heroine-for-hire, protecting her city’s citizens. Unofficially, she does her powerful family’s dirty work and patches up the damage they cause.

Investigating a double murder feels like the chance to do some real good. Serve justice, keep the streets safe…and maybe even impress her boss so much that he backs her as his successor. Well, it’s nice to dream.

But when the city’s rumor mill pushes a main suspect her way, she’s too skeptical to trust her luck. The flirtatious local casino owner claims he had no motive to murder men who owed him money. Even worse, Tinsa is afraid his interest in her might be for real.

Is he annoyingly entertaining? Yes. Someone she should trust? Absolutely not.

Yet the deeper she digs, the more tangled the truth becomes—and the more she needs his help to survive it. Because someone within House Gaurjo wants this case buried. And if she’s not careful…the next body on the street could be her own.

For fans of T. Kingfisher, Holly Black, and Jim Butcher, this is the first book in a completed high fantasy duet that blends dry wit, action, and political intrigue with a closed-door forbidden romance. If you love kickass heroines, mature characters (in their 30’s and 40’s), complex social settings, and charming love interests who may or may not be villains, start this delightful duet today!

“This is an entertaining tongue-in-cheek story that is just a delight. E.M. Epps’ storytelling has more Terry Prachett style humor than George RR Martin blood and gore, and Tinsa is a self aware charmer...[she] will resonate with....anyone who likes fictional adult women who solve crimes and mitigate trouble through wit and swagger.” - M. L. Dunker, author of The Tales of Zren Janin

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