The Tyrant’s Law

Why would anyone plot against Geder Palliako, Lord Regent of Antea? He’s a dedicated ruler, a devoted guardian to young King Aster, and a pious devotee of the Spider Goddess of Truth. Yet people are inexplicably unfond of his brutal expansionist wars, unquestioning obedience to a cult with its own agenda, and habit of taking children hostage. Resistance to Palliako comes in all shapes and sizes: a traitor’s widow launches a misinformation campaign to destabilize his court, an apostate priest and a mercenary captain attempt to kill the Spider Goddess, and a banker tries to rescue as much wealth and as many people as she can from the path of his invasion. The third novel in the Dagger and the Coin quintet (after The King’s Blood) undermines expectations in the most satisfying ways. This smart, absorbing, fascinating military fantasy, exciting and genuinely suspenseful, will keep readers on their toes. Agent: Shawna McCarthy, the McCarthy Agency (author now represented by Danny Baror, Baror International). (May)