The Ragpicker King

The epic follow-up to the Sunday Times bestselling Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare, praised by George R. R. Martin as ‘everything I look for in fantasy.’ In The Ragpicker King, Lin and Kel must chart a perilous course between love and lies.

His life is an illusion. Her lie is a gamble. Can two outliers save a kingdom?

The royal court is in turmoil, following a massacre. So Kel, Prince Conor’s body-double, is hunting for traitors. The notorious Ragpicker King, ruler of Castellane’s criminal underworld, holds the only clues. But they lead to a dark conspiracy to destroy the royal family – headed by the man set to marry the women Kel loves.

Lin will be judged, after claiming to be the legendary Goddess Reborn. And her people’s charismatic leader is ready to test her powers. Failure will mean exile, and only further dangerous deception can save her now.

As the simmering tensions in Castellane reach fever pitch, Prince Conor demands that Lin heal his father’s madness. However, the King is tormented by an ancient magic, and Lin cannot deny its allure – any more than she can deny her growing passion for the prince. Lin and Kel must decide who they can trust. Yet any false move will mean death – or worse.

Lose yourself in a vibrant world of power, intrigue and magic in this spellbinding epic from an internationally bestselling sensation.

Praise for the Sunday Times bestseller Sword Catcher

‘This is fantasy at its finest’ – Leigh Bardugo, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Hell Bent

‘A triumph of a book’ – Holly Black, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Night

‘Vivid and clever’ – Scott Lynch, bestselling author of the Gentleman Bastard sequence

^{Sword Catcher was a top ten Sunday Times bestseller w/c 5th October 2024.}