Take a simple, three-day cruise on a lavish steamboat casino, they said. Just keep an eye out for trouble while the Regent rolls the dice, they said. Markhat should have known the maiden voyage of Avalante's vampire-crewed Brown River Queen would be anything but a finder's dream job. Especially when he charges a ridiculous fee - and gets it without a peep of protest. Then a pair of identical murderous maidens attack him and his lady love, and it doesn't take a banshee's howl to confirm his sinking suspicion he's about to earn his fee the hard way.As the heavily guarded steamboat casts off, Markhat is forced to navigate shoals of old enemies, treacherous political undercurrents, and rogue waves of assassins. All to keep the walking dead from turning the Brown River Queen's decks red with blood.