"DIFFICULT TO PUT DOWN . . . Descriptive, evocative, and always precise . . . The mystery plot is tricky and beautifully paced."

*The Virginian-Pilot

The ritual murder of a prostitute named Ada McKinley in a bedroom on decrepit Pentecost Alley would ordinarily occasion no stir in Victoria's great metropolis. But, under the victim's body, the police find a Hellfire Club badge inscribed with the name Finlay Fitzjames--a name that instantly draws Superintendent Thomas Pitt into the case.

Finlay's father *immensely wealthy, powerful, and dangerous *refuses to consider the possibility that his son has been in Ada McKinley's bed. The implication is clear: Pitt is to arrest someone other than Finlay Fitzjames for Ada's demise. But Thomas Pitt is not a man to be intimidated, and with the help of his quick-witted wife, Charlotte, he stubbornly pursues his investigation *one that twists and turns like London's own ancient streets. . . .

"Stands as one of her most intricately constructed plots . . . Perry packs a triple wallop into the final pages, one climax following another."

*Chicago Sun-Times

"Vibrant . . . Alluring."

*The New York Times Book Review

A MAIN SELECTION OF THE BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB