The King and the Courtesan

Melissa Thatcher is a prostitute from Metro, the slum of Zinya City. Each day, she witnesses horrific violence and clings to an addictive drug nicknamed “street dust” just to get by.

When an extremely wealthy drug lord, Ezekiel, discovers Melissa, he promises her unlimited street dust in exchange for her services as a permanent escort. Ezekiel is dangerous—hypercritical, violent, cold, and calculating—but what can Melissa do in the face of a promise to change her life forever?

Simultaneously drawn to and repulsed by Ezekiel and his methods of control, Melissa finds herself caught in a web she cannot escape. She soon realizes that no one disobeys Ezekiel and gets away with it—no one.

Angela Walker’s debut novel, *The King and the Courtesan,* tells the story of a man’s addiction to power, and a young woman’s struggle for freedom.