England, 1887

There is a dead man stinking in the game larder. I hardly think a few missing pearls will be the ruin of this house party. Lady Julia Grey's eccentric family and friends have gathered to keep Christmas in Bellmont Abbey.

But when Lady Julia notices the enigmatic detective Nicholas Brisbane in the party, she is less than delighted - trouble is sure to follow. Her prediction is proved correct when festivities are brought to an abrupt halt by a murder in the chapel.

Blood dripping from her hands, Lady Julia's cousin claims the ancient right of sanctuary. Forced to resume her deliciously intriguing partnership with Brisbane, Lady Julia is intent on proving her cousin's innocence. Still, the truth is rarely pure and never simple...