Toby Daye has been sent to a neighboring fiefdom to try to find out why her liege's niece hasn't been in touch lately. When Toby arrives, she discovers that Jan's people have been dying and someone has stopped Jan from being able to contact her uncle. Toby must figure out who's killing people and why, before she or her assistant can become the next victims. 
 I generally enjoyed this one more than Rosemary and Rue; it felt like we got more of Toby's character in this one. What we didn't get that I would have liked more of was the flavor and politics of Faerie; there was a lot of talking about how catastrophic this whole situation is/could be, but I didn't feel it. The things I "felt" most in this book were the appearance and explanation of the Night-Haunts (so cool and creepy) and the Cait-Sidhe (especially Tybalt, who is the best thing). 
 I am having a bit of trouble with Toby as a detective; she's not a particularly good one, unfortunately. Maybe that's part of the point; despite her so-so-ness as a private investigator, she's all Faerie's really got, so she's who they send. Because she's better than nothing? 
 I'm not put off this series yet; after all, it took about four books before Jim Butcher's Dresden Files really took off. And I've read McGuire's more recent work, and I'm anticipating that the quality shown in things such as Sparrow Hill Road and her Mira Grant offerings will begin to show as this series progresses.