London. May, 1878 . Private enquiry agents Matthew Grand and James Batchelor have been hired by the artist James Whistler to dig into the past of outspoken critic John Ruskin, with whom he has an ongoing feud. Not particularly optimistic of success, the two detectives are sidetracked from the investigation by the murder of a prostitute in the Cremorne Gardens nearby. Her body posed on a park bench, a book on birth control sitting on her lap, Clara Jenkins is not the first young woman to have met a similarly grisly fate - and she won't be the last.Could there be a connection between the Cremorne killer and their art world case? With the investigation heading nowhere fast, Grand comes up with a decidedly unorthodox plan to ensnare the killer. But even the best-laid plans have a nasty habit of going catastrophically awry ."Grand and Batchelor's engaging, yin-and-yang partnership .

combines with the book's lickety-split plot and plenty of gentle humor to deliver a treat for historical-mystery readers" Booklist "A palpable sense of danger and a shocker of an ending make for absorbing reading" Booklist on The Black Hills "Provides juicy portraits of several historical figures" Kirkus Reviews on The Black Hills.