Murder in Lamut

This second cowritten installment of Legends of the Riftwar (after Feist's 2006 collaboration with William R. Forstchen, Honored Enemy) finds Rosenberg's engaging mercenary trio, Durine, Kethol and Pirojil, drafted to escort the bed-hopping Lady Mondegreen and her current lover, ambitious Baron Morray, to a summit conference in the city of LaMut. As the intrigues thicken, the Three Swords find themselves permanent guards to the baron, and are soon promoted to captain and tasked with keeping the peace among bored and idle baronial retainers. Then the aging Baron Mondegreen dies, and Morray and Lady Mondegreen are found in bed together with their throats slashed. The Swords, suspicious of everybody-including one another-go looking for the murderer. The numerous characters are well-drawn and use their brains rather than relying on too-easy magic. Fans of the earlier Midkemia books and past adventures of the Three Swords (Not Exactly the Three Musketeers, etc.) will find much to enjoy in this intelligent high fantasy.