Murder in the Docklands

The city-state of Vasini was rebuilt from the ashes left by the fall of the deities. Key to its survival are the docklands of Mid-Port and Southport, where the fish and trade that feed and fuel the city are brought in.

As summer begins, the people of quality prepare to elect a new seigneur and médiateur. The city is getting ready to celebrate the Festival of Games and the city wall run. Trade flows freely through the Mid-Port docks. The days may be longer, but there are still deep shadows and threats within them...murders are about to happen.

A conflagration at a dockside warehouse leaves a nightwatchman dead. In The Fire, Sergeant Rebecca Flint of the Mid-Port Inspectorate is called to investigate the destruction of the warehouse and the death of the nightwatchman amongst the flames. But why was this warehouse targeted and what was it holding?

A local pickpocket is found dead in an alley. In In Service to the Dead, the murder makes no sense to Flint. Why was the pickpocket carrying a satchel with samples of strange plants? Was he murdered out of revenge or for what he carried? And, if it was for what he carried, why was the satchel not taken?

The crew of a river boat are shot dead as they travel up the Sini. In Juniper, Flint receives a mysterious note that leads her to an abandoned boat at the Southport river docks. Who owns the boat? Why is it of importance? Who sent the note that led her there and why? As Flint investigates, she'll find answers to these questions and maybe, finally, to some of the other mysteries that she and the docklands have faced over the past months.

Tales From Vasini is a companion series of short stories and novellas to The Vasini Chronicles novel series. It tells stories of the wider world of Vasini and its environs. Murder in the Docklands contains the interconnected novellas The Fire, In Service to the Dead, and Juniper.