Bad (Westinger)

"In wine, there's truth. That's why they keep it locked in cellars." After they barely got away with their necks intact in A Bad Place to Be a Hero, unlikely friends Thessa and Corlis are each facing challenges of their own. While Thessa is having difficulty adjusting to life as a commoner in New Montres, Corlis receives astounding news: the family that had abandoned him when he was an infant is inviting him to an extravagant summer celebration in their home. Within days, the orphan turned innkeeper is whisked away to the idyllic countryside of Forterne province, with Thessa on his side to help him navigate the intricacies of high society. But just when everything looks almost too good to be true, another surprise guest turns up at the doorstep, whose intentions are nowhere close to cordial. Once again, Corlis and Thessa are sent down a twisted path of intrigue and deceit, relying on their wits and each other to keep them out of trouble─but is their friendship strong enough to withstand the allure of wealth?

"If there's one thing the dead are good at, it's keeping secrets. Some longer than others." One year after they worked together to capture a fugitive necromancer, Nella Dormanni is thrilled to welcome her colleague Mainu back in New Montres. To her surprise, the dashing lieutenant isn't merely in town for a leisurely visit, but to track down a wealthy socialite who's gone missingand what's more, he asks Nel to help. The two of them embark on what Nel assumes to be a routine investigation, only to find there's much more to the story than her partner let on. Across town, Thessa runs into trouble of her own when the Garden of Lilies, one of the city's most reputable red-light houses, becomes the scene of a horrific murder. Though the city guard arrests an obvious suspect, Thessa is convinced they're mistaken; and so, with the aid of her trusty friend Corlis, she offers to help unravel the mystery. The two pairs each delve into the bowels of New Montres, from the highest society to the lowest of slums, eager to find answers to their burning questionsbut do they have the courage to face how deep the roots of intrigue go?