The twentieth mystery in the bestselling Inspector Pitt series, by the master storyteller of Victorian society, Anne Perry

The body lies reclined in a punt, clothed in a torn dress, head thrown back in a mimic of ecstasy. It is a feminine pose but the body is distinctly male. The case already reeks of scandal and the body is not even cold. Pitt is the natural choice to investigate what he soon realises is the most unnatural of killings.

"Give her a good murder and a shameful social evil, and Anne Perry can write a Victorian mystery that would make Dickens' eyes pop out" - New York Times Book Review

"Beautifully crafted" - Cosmopolitan

"Her Victorian England pulsates with life and is peopled with wonderfully memorable characters" - Faye Kellerman

"The novel has a totally contemporary feel and is admirably well-written" - Guardian

"A complex plot supported by superb storytelling" - Scotland on Sunday