Description

Combines glittering, dark-hued prose with levels of penetrating psychological insight the equal of her great predecessors in the field. Wilson's upwards trajectory continues --Financial Times

Vividly evoking the seedy side of London against the background of the Cold War . . . a mystery that's nothing like as traditional as it first appears --Sunday Times

London, 1956. A young woman has been found dead in a hotel in King's Cross. It looks like an accident, and Scotland Yard isn't interested in accidents. But Fleet Street journalist Gerry Blackstone reckons there's more to it than meets the eye.

Meanwhile, Oxford is filling with Hungarian émigrés fleeing the failed revolution. Special Branch, concerned there could be Soviet spies among the genuine refugees, send in detective chief inspector Jack McGovern to keep an eye on proceedings.

As McGovern plays spy-catcher in Oxford and Blackstone hunts for clues in the seedy corners of London, a complex web of rogues, schemers, and potential suspects starts to emerge: the well-to-do madam, the classics professor, the East London crime boss, and the government minister--does it all lead back to the dead girl in King's Cross? Or is there something even more sinister going on?

Elizabeth Wilson is an independent researcher and writer. She is the author of several nonfiction books and her previous novels The Twilight Hour, War Damage, and The Girl in Berlin are all published by Serpent's Tail.