In 1890s Paris, a librarian and a detective must track down a killer – before the city goes up in flames. The Mortal Word is the enthralling fifth instalment in the Invisible Library series from Genevieve Cogman.

A corrupt countess. A spy in danger. And an assassin.

Peace talks are always tricky – especially when a key diplomat gets stabbed. This murder rudely interrupts a top-secret summit between the warring dragons and Fae, so Librarian-spy Irene is summoned to investigate. With her detective friend Vale, she must track down the killer – as peace hangs by a thread.

Accusations fly thick and fast. Irene soon finds herself in the seedy depths of the Parisian underworld on the trail of a notoriously warlike Fae, the Blood Countess. However, the evidence against the Countess is only circumstantial. Could the assassin – or assassins – be closer than anyone suspects?

Continue the witty and wonderful series with The Secret Chapter.

Praise for the series:

'I absolutely loved this' – N. K. Jemisin, author of The Fifth Season

'Irene is a great heroine: fiery, resourceful and no one's fool' – The Guardian

'Cogman keeps upping the ante on this delightful series!' – Charles Stross, author of the Merchant Princes series

Cogman fills a captivating story with animated characters and propels the narrative at a cracking pace, planting perfectly timed plot twists and reversals of fortune along the way * Guardian *
I absolutely loved this . . . flavoured with truly unique mythology and a dash of the eldritch. Such clever, creepy, elaborate worldbuilding and snarky, sexy-smart characters! -- N. K. Jemisin on The Invisible Library (Book One)
Irene is a great heroine: fiery, resourceful and no one’s fool, she has a wonderfully droll sense of humour – much like the novel itself -- Guardian on The Masked City (Book Two)
Brilliant and so much fun. Skullduggery, Librarians, and Dragons - Cogman keeps upping the ante on this delightful series! -- Charles Stross on The Burning Page (Book Three)
Reminiscent of the works of Diana Wynne Jones . . . a true treat to read -- Publishers Weekly on The Invisible Library (Book One)

Genevieve Cogman started on Tolkien and Sherlock Holmes at an early age, and has never looked back. But on a perhaps more prosaic note, she has an MSc in Statistics with Medical Applications and has wielded this in an assortment of jobs: clinical coder, data analyst and classifications specialist. Although The Invisible Library was her debut novel, she previously worked as a freelance roleplaying game writer. She is also the author of The Masked City, The Burning Page and The Lost Plot, all in The Invisible Library series. Genevieve Cogman's hobbies include patchwork, beading, knitting and gaming, and she lives in the north of England.