Böcker av Richard Dalglish

In this prequel to a series of fantasy mysteries, Vothan Rider Jarn Theffig encounters a Wyndoran youth wandering through Vothan territory searching for his missing father. When the ruling Acrinites demand custody of the young man, Jarn resists. They claim the Wyndoran is a spy, but Jarn knows better than to trust Acrinites. Meanwhile, an uneasy alliance is gathering to counter Acrinite aggression, but a dark sorcerer is sowing dissension among the allies. As Jarn investigates multiplying plots and schemes, a ragtag group of travelers is heading for the allies' encampment with a simple goal-to stop the allies from destroying themselves.

Someone murdered Ulder Talpior.A year after the Voths conquered the Acrinite Realm and took over constabulary duties in the city of Skunnik, the slaying of a religious leader has heightened tensions nearly to the breaking point. As rebels plot to take advantage of the coming chaos, and a dangerous agent of the exiled Acrinite leader arrives for unknown reasons, investigator Jarn Theffig turns to an unlikely ally-the sorceress Astil, the most dangerous woman in the known world.

The HealerGwyneira Waldir, a healer accused of murdering her husband with poison, is unlike any client Killandrio Bludd has ever represented. Beautiful and fascinating, she also has a dark secret that will shock the known world-including the advocate pledged to defend her.The PearlWhen a humble baker is accused of stealing a valuable pearl, Killandrio Bludd agrees to defend him in court. But Killy's client has more to fear than a date with a jury-the missing gem just might be the legendary Wandreme Pearl, a magical object that some would do anything to possess.

A young man is dead, and the look of terror etched on his face is the stuff of nightmares. A thirteen-year-old boy stands accused, but is he a dark sorcerer or an innocent whose unusual gift is being exploited by another? Defense advocate Killandrio Bludd thinks he knows the answer, but as the trial nears its shocking conclusion, he's in a race against time to find the only witness who knows the full truth and can tell the whole story-the last witness.

A man with no memory has only one clue to his identity: a four-sided insignia engraved on his sword and ring. He has barely begun his quest to learn who he is when he's confronted by a knight named Sir Borus Renovar, who demands his name and asks if he's signed something called a "fastle pledge," the work of someone known as the "Ordseer." The man invents the name "Stone Falconer" and denies signing any pledge. That's the wrong answer, and Stone and Sir Borus duel to a draw. Sir Borus leaves, threatening to return with more men.Now a fugitive, Stone meets a woman named Brook and soon learns that she, too, has no memory. Even more astonishing, she possesses a dagger and ring with the identical four-sided insignia. They ally themselves and soon meet Bennald, a man who can communicate with animals. Like Stone and Brook, Bennald has no memory, and he has a shepherd's staff and a ring that bear the familiar four-sided emblem. Stone and Brook head for civilization, but Bennald stays behind to live in the forest. In Drumkin, a young man named Kaemon Krowe recognizes Brook's ring. Kaemon, who escaped with two companions from nearby Redmond Province, says the Ordseer is using fastle pledges to turn Redmonders into thralls. He also tells them the meaning of the four-sided insignia. Stone and Brook admit that they have no memories and don't know why their rings and weapons bear the insignia. As Sir Borus and his Black Cloaks search for Stone, an army of thralls is on the march. Unbeknown to Stone and Brook, Bennald is in danger. When Kaemon and his companions leave Drumkin for a secret encampment of free Redmonders, Stone and Brook are left to deal with the threats.An epic battle raises troubling questions about the Ordseer's plans, and the appearance of a mysterious woman named Aliya complicates Stone's already perilous life. Soon, cities are descending into chaos as people take sides over fastle pledges and fight one another in the streets. Amid the turmoil of war and civil unrest, Stone discovers an ability that just might let him learn his true identity. Miles away, Kaemon encounters Thig Grennell, the king's wistlord, and they decide to find Stone, Brook, and Bennald. But the Ordseer is searching for them as well, and soon the three fugitives are in a place from which they might never escape. Meanwhile, Aliya is pursuing her own agenda, and a new villain, a dark enigma named Hake, shows up to complicate matters. To save themselves and defeat the Ordseer, Stone and his companions must learn to use powers they don't yet know they possess.

In Skunnik, the provincial capital of the Acrinite Province, Captain Jarn Theffig of the Vothan Riders is ordered to find a young woman who has been abducted. Suspects are many, but clues are few, so Jarn coerces the sorceress Astil to help him find the victim. Astil is the finest tracker in the known world, but she's also a master criminal who has often been at odds with the Vothan Riders. Astil is only one of the problems plaguing the case. The Acrinite Province, where Jarn and his Riders try to keep the peace, was enemy territory only a year before, when the Voths reclaimed land that was rightfully theirs. Ever since the takeover, rebels have been murdering Acrinite collaborators and plotting against the hated Voths. Jarn must also depend on the remnants of the Acrinite Guard, soldiers known as Yellowshirts, who for a thousand years were the sworn adversaries of the Vothan Riders. Adding more political intrigue, a treaty with a neighboring realm depends on the outcome of Jarn's investigation.