An eccentric detective and her long-suffering assistant untangle a web of magic, deception, and murder in this sparkling fantasy reinterpretation of the classic crime novel. A peculiar crime. A brilliant investigator. A mystery of epic proportions. In an opulent villa on the edge of the empire, a high-ranking officer is found dead—killed by a tree that spontaneously grew from his body. Even here, where there are many infections and the blood of leviathans causes strange magical changes, it is a death that is both horrific and, in fact, impossible. To solve the crime, Ana Dolabra is called in, an investigator whose brilliant reputation is only surpassed by her eccentricity. By her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, an engraver who has been magically altered to possess a perfect memory. Soon, the murder leads to a plot that threatens the very safety of the empire. For Ana, all of this presents a wonderfully prickly puzzle—finally something that truly captures her attention. And Din? He just has to hang in there.