Thick as Thieves

With a nod to the novels of Elmore Leonard, the dean of American crime fiction, Thick as Thieves is gritty, street-level swords and sorcery from the author of Reunion and Under Strange Suns.

Brick, ex-soldier turned tavern bouncer, is just grateful to have a job. So when his employer, the shady, non-human Shib, asks him to undertake a heist he reluctantly agrees. Given that his crew consists of an alcoholic poet and a violence-prone burglar, Brick shouldn't be surprised the heist goes awry. And perhaps he shouldn't be so trusting since everyone has an agenda and a scheme, none of them complementary, and none -- perhaps -- particularly wise. Shib is a long way from home, having left the Haptha homeland one step ahead of the law. He's a manipulator with a cruel sense of humor and an eye for the main chance. He's more than happy to use Brick as his cat's paw. Dahlia is a women trying to find a place for herself. She's from an immigrant family, notably foreign. She's estranged from her family, leaving her even more adrift. And her skill with a sword further sets her apart. Luckily her non-human employer (the wealthy Credentialed Trader Vawn) cares nothing about her differences, simply pleased to have a skilled bodyguard. But meeting Brick and Shib challenges Dahlia's loyalties and unsettles her quest to belong. Glum Arent's interests primarily involve ink and wine, with wine becoming preeminent. He also has some skill with a lock pick. That, and a vivid imagination involve him in Shib's schemes and help send everything spiraling out of control. Set in the aftermath of a war, and in a city that was on the losing side, Thick as Thieves is fantasy on the street-scale.