The Gilty Party

One dead blacksmith
One missing witness
One agent with a very big problem

The book is part of a standalone series which can be read in any order.

When an itinerant blacksmith dies in the village of Fontis, Ibram Ucalegon is sent to report back on the unattended death. No one thinks much about it. Hard-living old men die all the time, after all, and little changes except the name in the record of testimony.

But when Rustam Monbrith, the man who found the deceased, suddenly disappears on the day of the inquiry, the circuit court judge invokes an ancient and deadly punishment from Vissilia’s war-torn past: If the First Finder is not returned, then the entire village will pay the price.

Now, Rustam’s pretty sister begs the Sect of Seven Fires for aid and Lady Azadiya is looking very carefully into Ibram’s future as one of her agents. Did Ibram sign off on a natural death, when the verdict should have been murder? Or is Rustam Monbrith hiding some other secret?

The Gilty Party is the first book in The Alchemist's Agent series, a fantastical mystery set in the Golden Age of the Empire of Vissilia. Each novel is a standalone story, but fans of alternate worlds, audacious detective stories, and intrepid alchemists will want to read the entire series!