A Fanfare of Kazoos, Then...
Johannes Cabal, a necromancer of some little infamy, is used to dealing with devils, demons, and the unquiet dead. When an attempt to steal a rare book turns sour, however, he is faced by a new and deadly entity. Politics. Forced to use his skills to resurrect the inconveniently deceased ruler of a small but ambitious country somewhere in Eastern Europe, Cabal engineers an escape, steals an identity, and takes passage to safety aboard a flying ship, the Princess Hortense. At last, he is free and clear. Nothing could possibly go wrong now.
Unless, of course, one counts the suspicious fellow passengers, the unwelcome face from the past, the mysterious deaths, and the curious incident of the carpet in the night-time. The truth is that, in common with so much of Johannes Cabal's life, there is an awful lot that can go wrong.
Johannes Cabal returns after his debut in Johannes Cabal the Necromancer a little older and a little wiser, but still as sharply funny, cuttingly sarcastic, and unexpectedly violent as ever.
By the bye, the thumbnail is a work in progress cover. The novel features an aeroship, not an airship. There is a distinct difference. As it's turned up on Amazon.com, however, I suppose I may as well use it here.