Lady Emily must stop a serial killer whose sights are set on the new king . . .

Lying on her deathbed, Queen Victoria asks to speak privately with trusted royal agent Colin Hargreaves, slipping him a letter with her last command: Une sanz pluis. Sapere aude. 'One and no more. Dare to know.'

The year is 1901 and the death of Britain's longest-reigning monarch has sent all the Empire into mourning. But for Lady Emily and her dashing husband Colin, the grieving is cut short as another royal death takes centre stage. A body has been found in the Tower of London, posed to look like the murdered medieval king Henry VI. And soon after, a second corpse is discovered in London's exclusive Berkeley Square, the mutilated remains staged to evoke the violent demise of Edward II. It becomes evident that the individual behind the crimes plans to kill again and again.

The quest to find the murderer takes Emily deep into the capital's underbelly. But clues leading to the killer are elusive, and even more puzzling are the anonymous letters Colin has been receiving since Victoria's death. Could the killer be targeting her successor, Edward VII?

Praise for Tasha Alexander:

'Tasha Alexander has created Victorian London's most colourful sleuth' Jacqueline Winspear

'Tasha Alexander is one to watch - and read . . . she knows how to construct a compelling plot . . . there's depth and sensitivity which sets her apart' Huffington Post