Deed of Empire — Adam Stemple

Pallasoldi. The crossroad of kingdoms. Center of commerce, of trade. While empires rise and fall, the city remains. For trade is the lifeblood of all who would rule, and Pallasoldi is its beating heart. Most nights in Pallasoldi were the same for Alda: dress in black, go to the nicer parts of town, and steal everything that's not nailed down. It's not the greatest life—she risks losing a hand to the law or her head to her murderous boss, Heron, if she screws up—but she's good at her job, has her own place, and even has a little bit of silver stashed away. But this night is different. Because whatever she stole has the whole city looking for her. They all want what she has and are willing to kill anybody and everybody to get it from her.And Alda doesn't even know what it is.***There is no one on earth who writes the kind of dirtbags, scoundrels, cutthroats and rotters quite like Adam Stemple, always with equal portions of compassion and exasperation, with the occasional well-deserved scorn. This book is a complex, knotty, and cliff-hanging yarn. I enjoyed it immensely. — Kelly Barnhill, Newbery and World Fantasy award winner, and NYT best selling authorEverything I've loved about Stemple's work comes together in this. Three characters, each a delight to follow, spiral in to a meeting with all the fireworks you'd hoped for. I can't wait for the next one. — NYT best-selling author, Steven Brust