Description
Book SynopsisThe 18th-century meets the sharp blade of forensic science...
Newly released from the notorious asylum known as Bedlam, Lady Lydia Farrell finds herself in an equally terrifying position - as a murder suspect - when she stumbles upon the mutilated body of Sir Montagu Malthus in his study at Boughton Hall.
Meanwhile, Dr Thomas Silkstone has been injured in a duel with a man who may or may not have committed the grisly deed of which Lydia is accused. Despite his injury, Thomas hopes to clear his beloved''s good name by conducting a postmortem on the victim. With a bit of detective work, he learns that Montagu''s throat was slit by no ordinary blade, but a ceremonial Sikh dagger from India - a clue that may be connected to the fabled lost mines of Golconda.
From the mysterious disappearance of a cursed diamond buried with Lydia''s dead husband, to the undying legend of a hidden treasure map, Thomas must follow a trail of foreign dignitaries, royal agents
Trade Review
A densely plotted yarn about a crafty 18th-century poisoner wreaking havoc on the Oxfordshire estate of a noble family . . . we await - indeed, demand - the sequel * New York Times *
The author will have you flipping the pages at each unexpected turn in the plot. The novel is an absorbing read with a shocking twist at the end * Historical Novel Society *
Harris has more than a few tricks up her sleeve, and even veteran armchair puzzle solvers are likely to be surprised * Publishers Weekly *
