In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies
dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his
body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and
the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a
death both terrifying and impossible.
Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation
for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it
that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve
impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her
home.
At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in
ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at
turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new
superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from
one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is,
indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.
As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that
threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to
assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll
be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.