When Etan and the old Chancellor both fall to poison, Jovan, Kalina, and Tain are all thrust into responsibilities they thought were years away. Idealistic, good-hearted Tain is their childhood friend-and the heir to the powerful Chancellor position. Kalina should have had Jovan's role, but her physical frailty forbade it her determination led her to learn other aspects of spycraft from their teacher and uncle, Etan. Jovan is the 'proofer'-the preparer or tester of everything the ruler eats or drinks, aided in this task by his incredible memory. Jovan and Kalina are noble-born siblings whose family has long performed a secret duty: to guard the Chancellor against covert threats, especially poison. 'About this title' may belong to another edition of this title.A brother and sister trained from birth to protect their ruler find their skills-and their assumptions-tested in Hawke's debut novel. 'Colorful and exciting.'― Publishers Weekly 'This epic fantasy debut weaves political, class, and belief systems into a deftly drawn world.'― School Library Journal

'A well-crafted debut with believable political intrigues, solid worldbuilding, and original characters.'― Kirkus “A compelling fantasy whodunit―imagine Agatha Christie channelled through Robin Hobb―and a page-turning coming-of-age tale.”― The Guardian 'An enormously enjoyable read, one of the best new fantasies I’ve seen in a long time.'―Adrian Tchaikovsky City of Lies is a wonderful read and one that I'd highly recommend to all lovers of fantasy.'―John Gwynne But the heart of the story is the central characters, they’re written with such depth, flawed, human and likeable. 'Absolutely loved this the world building is brilliant, the mystery and crime elements merge seamlessly into a fantastical world of poisoners, warrior-guilds and ancient magic.

Hawke writes with nuance about the loves, loyalties, ambitions, and resentments that bind her characters together and threaten to tear them apart.'―Kate Elliott 'Sibling protagonists anchor this twisty story of old grievances coming to a boil. City of Lies got me through sitting seven hours in an airport, and proves that a tale about the one who risks his life to thwart assassins can be as compelling as any assassin’s tale.'―Robin Hobb 'If the first line doesn’t make you buy this book, you should turn in your fantasy-lover’s badge. I don’t read many stories as twisty and unpredictable, especially in the latter chapters, as this one, and I loved what Sam Hawke did.'―Terry Brooks

'A tale of poisoners, deceit and treachery that will surely keep readers entranced.

City of Lies by Sam Hawke