On the streets of Damerel, a serial killer is on the loose, targeting non-magic users known as Unblooded, so the Eternal King tasks two individuals with tracking the killer down. - Shan, an ambitious Blood Worker who has recently stepped into power by murdering the head of her family. - Samuel, a bastard with an unusual talent. After he stumbles across a drained body, he unwittingly gets pulled into the investigation and the machinations of the Crown. Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright paints an alluring dark fantasy filled with glittering political intrigue and conniving characters. One of the most interesting parts of the worldbuilding in this book for me is its caste system—where Unblooded are treated as lesser and forced to donate blood quarterly as a part of a blood tax to fuel Blood Worker’s powers. This, of course, leads to the growing civil unrest that we see progress throughout the novel. However, I think my biggest gripe though is that the actual murder mystery subplot ten...