Alex Bledsoe's first novel, The Sword-Edged Blonde, drew rave reviews for its ingenious blend of fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction. Now Bledsoe returns with another tale of mean streets and medieval intrigue.

Above Angelina's Tavern in down-and-dirty Neceda, you'll find the office of Eddie LaCrosse. He's a scruffy freelance sword jockey who, for twenty-five gold pieces a day plus expenses, will handle any problem short of murder for hire. Eddie's on his way back from a routine investigation when his horse almost runs down a half-naked blonde in serious trouble. Against his better judgment, he promises to protect the frightened young woman, only to find himself waylaid by unknown assailants and left for dead beside her mutilated body.

Eddie isn't the kind of guy to just let something like this pass.But who killed Laura Lesperitt?Eddie's quest for payback leads him to a tangled mystery involving a notorious crime lord, a backwoods dragon cult, royal scandals, and a duplicitous femme fatale who has trouble keeping her clothes on. As bodies pile up, Eddie must use all his wits if he hopes to survive.