The third Gentleman Bastard novel picks up after the events of Red Seas Under Red Skies. Locke Lamora is in a bad way, the consequences of the previous book's heist still very much alive in his body, and no alchemist or physiker can do anything about it. Magi political elections are imminent, and the factions are in need of a pawn. If Locke agrees to play the role, sorcery will be used to purge the threat - though the process may make him wish it had killed him outright. And Sabetha, the woman from Locke's past whose name has haunted him through two books, finally walks back into his life - on the opposite side.
