The Goblin Emperor, one of my favourite novels, is part political fantasy, part intimate character study. The Witness for the Dead, set in the same fantasy world and focused around a secondary character from TGE, has a similar feel but adds in an additional component of murder mystery - and it works. 

I was gripped by this story from the beginning. Celehar is a compelling main character - honourable, honest, lonely and still struggling with the pain of his past. His investigations (there are several, although with two main murder cases) are genuinely intriguing. The writing is as excellent as I have come to expect from Katherine Addison, and perhaps easier to read than in TGE due to the reduced need for formal language away from court. 

Once again Addison has produced something that doesn't quite feel like anything else I have read.  I wasn't sure before I read it that following up TGE with a book set away from court intrigue was a good idea, but after just a few pages I was convinced. I loved it. I believe a sequel is on the way, and I intend to get my hands on it as soon as it is released.