City of Stairs: Book One of the Divine Cities Trilogy

City of Stairs is the first book in Robert Jackson Bennett's Divine Cities trilogy. The story follows Shara Thivani, a spy posing as a junior diplomat, who is sent to the city of Bulikov to investigate a murder. Bulikov was once a wealthy and powerful city, shaped by the divine miracles of its gods. The inhabitants eventually rose up and killed these divine protectors, leaving the city's landscape permanently altered and haunted by its former supremacy. As Shara investigates the murder, she begins to uncover evidence suggesting that the gods may not be truly dead and that Bulikov's reign of power may not be finished. The novel is a Hugo and Locus Award finalist and is part of a trilogy that also includes City of Blades and City of Miracles.