A magical terrorist is on the loose. Murder strikes an airship party. A lumberjack, thought dead and cremated, kills and eats a lawyer during a national court case. In the city of Grousecap, a ritualistic serial killer has stalked the streets for sixty years. Inspector Archibald Marshall returns to solve these cases and more.

Yet the land of Astryss becomes more dangerous each month. Marshall faces a growing number of magical threats, enduring close victories and bitter losses. And several of his problems trace back to a haunting surrounding three refugees from centuries prior.