The Merciful Crow book launch in Lake Forest Park Tuesday

A future chieftain. A fugitive prince. A too cunning bodyguard. And one grumpy gray tabby.

The crows are a shunned caste of mercy killers, charged with removing those who are dead and dying of the plague, which is so contagious that no one goes near the victims - except the Crows, who are immune.

When the young chieftain of the crows rescues the crown prince and his bodyguard from the evil queen, the trio strike a bargain: Fie leads the pair to safety and in return, the prince will work to end the persecution of her people.

The setting of this fantasy novel is inspired by our own plague history and the beaked hats and black robes worn by plague doctors.

Margaret Owen

The writing is vivid. One of the early scenes, where the Crows do a stomping, screaming dance to intimidate the evil queen who has refused to pay them, had me holding my breath. I literally could see it playing out on a film screen as it unfolded.

The author, Margaret Owen, who lives in Seattle, will be at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park with New York Times-bestselling author Kendare Blake (Three Dark Crowns) on Tuesday, July 30, 2019 at 7pm to read from her book and sign copies purchased there. Call 206-366-3333 to reserve your copy.

Third Place Books, upper level of Town Center, intersection of Bothell and Ballinger Way in Lake Forest Park.

--Diane Hettrick