London's streets are sinister. But what if the real danger lies closer to home?

London, June 1759. When a charmless civil servant takes his own life, Lizzie Hardwicke, who plies her trade in the brothels of London while also working as an undercover sleuth for the magistrate, is alone in wondering why.

Lizzie’s search for answers takes her from the smoke-filled rooms of fashionable gambling houses, where politicians mix ambition with pleasure, to the violent streets of Soho, ready to erupt with riots in the sultry summer heat.

Then a gambling house owner is murdered, and Lizzie finds herself swept up in a chaos that she cannot control. The darkest of secrets threatens her friendship with William Davenport, the magistrate’s assistant. Revealing the truth could send her to the gallows.

The third instalment of the gripping and vividly imagined historical mystery series set in 18th century London, from the author of acclaimed historical novel The Dazzle of the Light. Perfect for fans of The Household by Stacey Halls and Daughters of the Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson, as well as readers of Laura Purcell, Sarah Waters and Diana Gabaldon.

(This novel contains depictions of violence.)