Amid the intoxicating chaos of Winter Festival, attendant Dilly and hedge mage Fitch cross paths.
Dilly aims to prove herself to Lady Elenia, who saved her from Rin's wretched streets and blessed her with a new life of comfort and luxury. Fitch seeks vengeance for a loved one, killed by a liquor that makes one vulnerable to suggestion.
But their separate goals are derailed when Dilly discovers Elenia's secret lover is the head of a too-ambitious kinship, and Fitch resists his own smuggler-family pressuring him into using his unique nudging abilities for mutinous deeds.
When murmurs of treason break out in Lac's Holding, it becomes clear that only Dilly and Fitch know the truth.
The question is how they can save the city when those they're loyal to stand in their way.
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Pacey, twisty, and sharp with court intrigue, The Trickster blends the political cunning of Megan Whalen Turner with the found family and loyal animal companions of Tamora Pierce and Garth Nix. The third book in Dorothy A. Winsor's Tales of Rinland (but perfect to read as a standalone), it follows a young man torn between loyalty and blood, a plucky heroine learning who she can trust... and her faithful dog Tuc.
"A clean read, with the perfect balance of espionage and romance." - Windy City Reviews
"A captivating novel ...] fast-paced and packed with action. Dorothy A. Winsor created a world of magic, romance, and politics. It was a page-turner, and I could not put it down." - Reader's Favorite