Second paragraph of third chapter:

They stood in the courtyard of a  family compound in the out-skirts of Dadang. A fat  bottle palm squatted by a well, casting cross-hatched shade. Colorful tunics and shawls hung to dry on lines strung between semi separate  houses. Aristide wondered who they belonged to. Surely no one  lived here. Still, the illusion was admirable. And focusing on the tradecraft kept him from thinking about what he was about to do.

Third in a series (The Amberlough Dossier) of which I had not read the other two. I read the first hundred pages but couldn’t get into it on its own. Not anyone’s fault. You can get it here.

This was my top unread book acquired in 2020, in the Hugo Voter Packet as part of Diana Pho’s generous submission. Next on that pile is A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery, by Curtis Craddock, from the same folder.