Book Description

Finding a murderer should be easy when you can ask the corpse who killed them. Every few nights, a swamp at the edge of civilization gives back its dead. When a victim returns to demand justice from beyond a watery grave, the renowned Emerald Flame douses himself in spirits, leaving his partner to wade through their pool of suspects alone. Upper Bound is full of swindlers, frauds, and misanthropes: a lord who never fails to be the life of the party. A minstrel with more charisma than talent. The head of the city’s criminal underbelly. A vagrant who claims to be a landless king. Crimson Smoke has never failed to puzzle out a mystery, but if they can’t solve one murder faster than they can cover up another, the lives of an entire town could be at stake. And Crimson is starting to believe that the city’s restless dead aren’t the only thing that the bog has brought back to life. *** For years, the outcast Emerald Flame has traveled the world, solving mysteries that only a magic-wielder could unravel. But when his imaginary friend gains a mind of their own, both are forced to grapple with their identities as well as the enchanted forces working against them. A high-fantasy mystery perfect for fans of J. R. R. Tolkien and Arthur Conan Doyle! Content Note for Swamp Song This story contains descriptions of untreated mental health, self-harm, and suicidal ideation.