Best Served Cold (World of the First Law Book 1)

Springtime in Styria brings war. For nineteen years, the ruthless Grand Duke Orso has fought a vicious struggle against the squabbling League of Eight, leaving the land devastated. Armies march, cities burn, and behind the scenes, bankers, priests, and darker powers compete to determine who will be king. Monza Murcatto, known as the Snake of Talins, is the most feared mercenary in Duke Orso's employ. Her military victories have made her popular—too popular for her employer. Betrayed and thrown down a mountain, she survives with a broken body and a desire for vengeance. She is determined that seven men must die. Monza gathers unlikely allies: Styria's least reliable drunkard, its most treacherous poisoner, a mass-murderer obsessed with numbers, and a Northman seeking to do right. Her enemies span much of the nation. Complicating her quest, the most dangerous man in the world is sent to hunt her down and complete Duke Orso's work.