Like many other assassin characters, Caim is an orphan.But he has a ghostlike companion, Kit, whom only he can hear and see, and an uncanny ability to manipulate shadows.

Set in a kingdom where the religious are not so holy and the nobility are corrupt, Caim has no loyalties and few scruples.He reluctantly accepts a contract to assassinate a nobleman, only to find that someone else got there first.He and the nobleman's daughter, Josey, become an unlikely pair in the search for her father's killers and the people who set up Caim.

The intrigue, action scenes, and ever-more-revealing character insights are masterfully woven together in a book the reader won't want to put down.Questions about the origin of Caim's shadow sorcery and Kit's identity are broadly touched upon but never fully revealed, leaving readers to wonder if there will be another book to tie up the loose pieces.Overall, a first-rate sword-and-sorcery tale, with intriguing characters, that moves at a quick pace.