In the magical city of Turai, murder, mayhem and ruthless criminal brotherhoods are rife The only people more corrupt than the politicians are the Royal Family And the weather is awful It's down these mean, muddy streets that Thraxas, ex-soldier, failed sorcerer and epic drinker, ekes out a living as a private investigator But when Princess Du-Akai, third in line the the throne, employs him to look into a very delicate matter, it seems that his luck is about to change And it does A few hours later, he's in jail - accused of murder