Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb is the first book in her newest series, The Fitz and The Fool Trilogy. Taking us back into the Six Duchies and again into the life of FitzChivalry Farseer and his lifetime best friend, The Fool. 
 Fitz is living his life out as Tom Badgerlock, the identity he created for himself decades ago. He is happily married to his childhood love, Molly, and has helped her to raise the last of her and Burrich's children tucked away at Withywoods with his step-mother Patience. 
 A strange messenger appears one night during Winter Fest and never gets to deliver her message and simply disappears. It is strange but forgettable, until years later the import of this lost messenger is of no consequence. When the next messenger arrives things very rapidly unravel as they can only do in Fitz's life. 
 Filled with old characters we love, and new characters I think I'm going to love to hate should they make it any further in the series, this world, these people are a welcome place to go. Fitz is like family and as much as I tried to slow down reading to make this last longer - I just HAD to know what was going on. 
 Leaving things up in the air as only an epic-fantasy trilogy opener can do... the next anticipated book is expected out sometime in 2015 and is titled Fool's Quest. 
 I so very highly recommend this author and her entire series of books.