In this atmospheric, richly detailed historical mystery set in Victorian England, the disappearance of a diplomat's wife leads trailblazing female medical examiner Dr. Julia Lewis to uncover a murderous scheme.

London, May 1868: As a medical doctor, Julia Lewis has attained a level of independence rare for women of her time. However, she is not the only female with an unusual profession. Mrs. Gladys Lamb, the famous "lady detective" who calls on Julia at her Whitechapel clinic, will soon be publishing her daring exploits in a memoir.

Mrs. Lamb has been hired to uncover the whereabouts of Lady Elinor Wyvern. Lady Elinor is believed to have returned to England from overseas, while her consul-general husband conducts business abroad, but she has not been seen. Julia's concern grows when she realizes that Lady Elinor recently made an appointment with her under an assumed name but failed to keep it.

The mystery deepens when Mrs. Lamb is found at the bottom of her stairs with a broken neck. Her notebook and case notes are missing, and Julia and her fiancé, Inspector Richard Tennant, reject the police chief's verdict of accidental death. Among the many secrets Mrs. Lamb was privy to lies the key to Lady Elinor's disappearance—a tangled, terrifying story that implicates those she trusted most.

It is still a treacherous world for women, including those born into wealth and privilege. And even as Julia eagerly anticipates her wedding to Richard, the couple must contend with a villain who, having killed once, has no qualms about doing so again . . .