The Liar’s Knot

Set in Nadežra, a city resembling historic Venice, Carrick’s sequel to The Mask of Mirrors features con artist Ren, who has been adopted by a noble family. She becomes aware of a darkening situation caused by a secret cult manipulating a set of magical medallions owned by some of the city’s noble houses. Against a backdrop of violence caused by an underclass yearning to break free of the foreign nobility that conquered Nadežra centuries ago, Ren must disempower these medallion holders with the help of a crime lord and a vigilante. The accents of actor Nikki Massoud create a rich tapestry that enlivens the story. By shifting her accents, Massoud conveys the multiple characters that Ren plays in her long game, and she handles the worldbuilding, including complex names, and the intricacies of numinatria, an esoteric magic system of numerology and sacred geometry, with ease.