By the end of season 2, Diane, Duchess Tremontaine, having risen from a secret past of meager means, did what she had to do to hold onto her place in society, manipulating the nobility of the city into proclaiming her duchess in her own right. But with the husband she poisoned into madness a lingering risk to her future security, she struck a deal to erase him permanently from the picture.

When the foreign agent named Ixkaab Balam pursued the life of a professional swordswoman, her career did not go as planned, costing both her both a lover and a mentor. With the death of her beloved aunt, Kaab was thrust into a role she might not be ready for–that of the spymaster for her powerful merchant family.

Elsewhere, the scholar Rafe Fenton, tried and failed to rescue his lover Will from Diane’s clutches, but was able to strike a bargain the spared the man’s life, if not their relationship, forcing Rafe to reevaluate his ambitions. Meanwhile, his ally and friend Micah, a mathematical genius from the country, forged an unlikely—and potentially dangerous—bond with the duchess, moving into her home.

“Sharp blades and even sharper wits abound! Delicious new adventures await fans in this welcome return to the world of Swordspoint.” – JACQUELINE CAREY, New York Times Bestselling author of the Kushiel’s Legacy series

Welcome to Tremontaine, where ambition, love affairs, and rivalries dance with deadly results.  In this serial, Ellen Kushner and a team of writers return readers to the world of scandal and swordplay introduced in her cult-classic novel Swordspoint. Readers familiar with the series will find a welcome homecoming while new fans will learn what makes Riverside a place they will want to visit again and again. Tremontaine follows Diane, Duchess Tremontaine, whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; Rafe Fenton, a handsome young scholar with more passion than sense; Ixkaab Balam, a tradeswoman from afar with skill for swords and secrets; and Micah, a gentle genius whose discoveries herald revolution. Sparks fly as these four lives intersect in a world where politics is everything, and outcasts are the tastemakers. Tread carefully, dear reader, and keep your wit as sharp as your steel.

“Lovely! Beneath a froth of silk and lace Tremontaine is finely muscled, rippling with skill and promise.” – NICOLA GRIFFITH, author of Hild

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