In this witty, fast-moving installment of Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan saga, Miles Vorkosigan is sent to the planet Komarr, where a routine diplomatic assignment quickly becomes complicated by politics, scandal, and a web of hidden tensions beneath the world’s polished surface. Blending sharp humor, keen characterization, and thoughtful science fiction, the novel follows Miles as he navigates a society wary of outsiders and a mystery that may have far-reaching consequences.