At a glance, Waterman understood why zu Apfhel had sent for him. Waterman had spent the walk silently cursing zu Apfhel. In a heartbeat, he switched to silently cursing fate.

The body was a woman, probably in her early 20s, short and curved. Alive, she might have been beautiful, but death had taken her spark and personality. The dead woman was blatantly not a native of the city.

Hanz Waterman of the Seventh Fire Watch House is a firefighter and the chief criminal investigator for his district. Like the great river, Waterman’s life flows smoothly in the Burgevin capital, the City of Bridges, until he is ordered to investigate the murder of a woman attached to the mighty Khalzidi Empire’s embassy.

Now, Waterman is caught up in the machinations of the rich and powerful, as both Burgevin and Khalzidi factions push to use his investigation to further their agendas. Will Waterman and his men find the killer before politics and technological change engulf the City of Bridges in a cataclysm of smoke, fire, and blood?

Note: This is a murder mystery set in a fantasy world that doesn’t include magic or nonhuman species. Bad things happen to good people. There is violence (fight scenes) and a little bit of swearing. PG-13. Strong female characters.