A Bad Way to Strike Gold

"Make new friends, but keep the old-New friends are silver, dead ones are gold."



It's been four months since the murder at the Garden of Lilies, and New Montres is seeing one of the longest and coldest winters in memory. Thessa and Corlis, who have since started their own business as investigators, receive what seems like the easiest assignment imaginable: attend a lavish birthday celebration and keep an eye on the hostess for safety. But, as is far too often the case in their lives, the job turns out to be anything but leisurely, and the splendid feast turns into a living nightmare.



Around the same time, down-on-his-luck dock worker Sayka stumbles upon a discovery that promises to solve all his problems in one fell swoop. To realize it, however, he needs to enlist the help of his lover Ricio, who has more than a few reservations-and not without good reason.



The threads soon intertwine in a tapestry of lies, death, and glamour, where everyone from feared gang leaders to scheming housekeepers is keen to get their own irons in the fire. New friendships are forged, old ones are tested, and it remains to be seen what each one is truly worth.