Evrik Attel wanted to live life on his terms, and where better to start than in Lityen, the village at the foot of the great alchemical Sect of Seven Fires? On the first day of the Preceptory of Yseult's exhibition, he held a card tournament at his draughtshop with a special prize, a deck of lucky cards blessed by a god. Now, he lies dead at Lady Azadiya Hobon's feet.
Hot on her heels as ever, Ibram Ucalegon discovers Evrik was robbed of everything except his money. Inside the draughtshop, everyone wanted to profit off of Evrik's work, but no one wants to believe he was murdered. His cousin claims it's on account of foreign food, his prospective business partner says it was bad shellfish, and the Imperial clerk simply wants to escort Lady Azadiya to her meeting.
But men don't simply drop dead clutching their throats, and a robbery is a robbery. To find out what really happened, Lady Azadiya and Ibram must discover what caused ... The Body In The Larder?