"A rich rewarding trip for everyone." --The New York Times

"Alexander's eye for period detail is sharp and subtle; he brings his historic England back to life in layers." --Chicago Tribune

When a nobleman is executed, his possessions are expected to go to the Crown, as he is the last of his line. Then a man appears, claiming to be the nobleman's younger brother who disappeared seven years ago, and declares his right to the estate. But if he really is the blood kin of the executed man, where has he been for so long? And why does his mother react to him so oddly? To find the answers, blind magistrate Sir John Fielding and his ward Jeremy Proctor, must travel from London to Bath to Oxford--and finally to a much darker place...