Eye of Truth: Agents of the Crown, Book 1

Jev Darrow returns from a decade fighting the elves in a war he doesn't believe in. He returns home to find his bookish Lieutenant has been elevated to King after the death of the previous King and all three of his sons from a mysterious blood disorder. No sooner does Jev disembark the boat than he is arrested by an Inquisitor who accuses him of stealing an artifact from one of the religious orders. Inquisitor Zenia Cham hopes that successfully completing her latest mission will put her in a good position to succeed the head of her order when she retires. However, nothing about this mission makes sense and much as she hates to admit it, her prisoner seems to be innocent. What follows is a classic Lindsay Buroker romp as Jev and Zenia (together with Jev's former comrades a dwarf and an elf) try to find this missing artifact and why so many people are willing to kill to possess it. Along the way they also discover the truth about the disappearance of Jev's mother and death of his brother. There are magical amulets (Dragon's Tears) which can enhance a wearer's powers, secret crime societies, xenophobia and more. A great fun read if you like snarky priests, laconic ex-soldiers, magic, dwarves, elves and dragons.