‘Fantasy fans won’t want to miss this’ Publishers Weekly A high-stakes heist novel set in a gritty world of magic and malice. WHO NEEDS FRIENDS WHEN YOU HAVE AXES? Ryia ‘the Butcher’ Cautella has earned her reputation as the quickest, deadliest blade in the city – not to mention the sharpest tongue. But Ryia Cautella is not her real name. A deadly secret has kept Ryia in hiding, running from city to city, doing whatever it takes to stay one step ahead of the formidable Guildmaster – sovereign ruler of the five kingdoms. But even the most powerful men can be defeated. One last impossible job is all that stands between Ryia and her freedom – but even the Butcher can’t do it alone. She teams up with the Saints, a crew of uniquely skilled miscreants, smugglers and thieves, to carry off a death-defying heist into the most tightly guarded island in the kingdoms – the Guildmaster’s stronghold. Unfortunately for Ryia, her new allies are all planning betrayals of their own . . . ‘Electrifying’ Publishers Weekly ‘Gritty, fun and effortlessly immersive’ H.M. Long, Hall of Smoke ‘A riveting, high-stakes adventure’ J.S. Dewes, The Last Watch ‘Lightning-paced . . . You won’t want to miss AMONG THIEVES’ Lucy Holland, Sistersong ‘A ride from beginning to end’ Genevieve Gornichec, The Witches Heart

MJ Kuhn is a fantasy writer by night and a mild-mannereduniversity employee by day. She lives in the Metro Detroit area withher husband Ryan and a very spoiled cat named Thorin Oakenshield. Sheobtained a Bachelor’s degree in Communication in 2013. Less than a yearinto her life as a full-time office-worker she began using her nightsand lunch breaks to work on her first novel, and she hasn’t looked backsince. When she isn’t reading or writing you can find Mallory playingthe piano, weightlifting, or anxiously awaiting the next installment ofGeorge R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire.