The Thief. Amaranthe, #21

~ Indie Author Project 2025 SciFi Book of the Year ~ Finalist, Best Alien Sci-Fi of 2024, Discover Sci-Fi ~* A stand-alone adventure set in the Amaranthe universe * The Hesgyr are thieves. "Scavengers, " to hear their victims tell it; "repurposers" by their own reckoning. As Chief of Intelligence for Non-Anaden Affairs, Eren Savitas' job is to protect the Advocacy from all manner of alien threats: sabotage, assassination, insurgency and, way down the list, theft.
So when he spots a Hesgyr running off with valuable technology, he follows the alien home-and discovers a civilization unlike any he's ever encountered. Yes, the Hesgyr are thieves. But they are also being hunted. Systematically exterminated by an insidious enemy they can't see, touch or find. Eren finds himself drawn ever deeper into the Hesgyr's fascinating yet labyrinthine world as he races against time to solve the mystery of the deadly attacks.
What he discovers is a complex web of loyalties and betrayals, of grudges and grievances millennia old-and beneath it all, a secret that may hold the key to the survival of more than one civilization. The Thief is a humorous, pulse-pounding sci-fi adventure about alien culture clashes, the flaws and foibles that transcend species, and the satisfaction that comes from breaking all the rules to save the day.