The Death of the Necromancer (Ile-Rien, #2)

by Martha Wells

“I am called Doctor Octave,

Besides, Montesq couldn’t be accused of necromancy, only of hiring the death of a beggar.

The oldest sewerman frowned and paused to lean on his broad paddle, which he was using to direct the flow of sluice water down the channel of the main sewer into the collector pit. “Some days it’s hard to say what is usual,” he said, which was a more philosophical answer than Nicholas was hoping for.

Reminded me of Terry Pratchett