The Direct Sequel to Crown of Slaves Two New York Times Best-Selling Authors Again Join Forces in a New Novel in David Weber’s Honor Harrington Universe As the slavemasters of Mesa plot against the Star Empire of Manticore & the newly liberated slave planet of Torch Anton Zilwicki & the notorious Havenite secret agent Victor Cachat set off on a dangerous mission to uncover the truth concerning a wave of mysterious assassinations that have been launched against Manticore & Torch Most people are sure that the Republic of Haven is behind the assassinations but Zilwicki & Cachat suspect others of being the guilty party Queen Berry of Torch was one of the targets of the unknown assassins The former head of the Ballroom slave liberation organization Jeremy X—now one of Torch&s top officials but still considered by many the most dangerous terrorist in the galaxy—calls in some past favors owed to him In response a security officer from Beowulf arrives in Torch to take charge of Queen Berry&s security—a task made doubly difficult by the young monarch&s resentment of bodyguards & the security officer&s own growing attachment to her Meanwhile powerful forces in the Solarian League are maneuvering against each other to gain the upper hand in what they all expect to be an explosive crisis that threatens the very existence of the League itself About the Author David Weber is author of the New York Times best-selling Honor Harrington series as well as In Fury Born & other popular novels With Steve White he is the author of Insurrection Crusade In Death Ground & the New York Times best seller The Shiva Option all novels based on his Starfire SF strategy game Eric Flint with David Drake has written six popular in the Belisarius series now being reissued in hardcover omnibus volumes & with David Weber collaborated on 1633 & 1634 The Baltic War novels in the Ring of Fire series & on Crown of Slaves the prequel to Torch of Freedom & a best of the year pick by Publishers Weekly Flint received his masters degree in history from UCLA & was for many years a labor union activist He lives in East Chicago IL with his wife & is working on more books in the best-selling Ring of Fire series