In Daretana's greatest mansion, a high Imperial officer lies dead-killed, to all appearances, when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times-and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home. At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din finds himself at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior-but as the case unfolds and Ana's mind leaps from one startling deduction to the next, he must grudgingly admit that she is, indeed, the Empire's greatest detective. As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself, Din realizes he's barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra-and wonders how long he'll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.