London's most unusual sleuthing team, Inspector Thomas Pitt and his wife, Charlotte, just cannot seem to stay away from trouble. When Charlotte learns of her mother's distress in losing a locket with a compromising picture, she has no idea that it's just the beginning of a series of bizarre events that will end in sudden death. For hidden behind the sumptuous elegance of Rutland Place, where Charlotte's mother lives, are terrible secrets--secrets so horrifying that only murder can conceal them. But the dangerous persistence of Charlotte and the quiet patience of Inspector Pitt will make it possible to unwind this most macabre and chilling mystery.