An orphan discovers her mother may be a convicted murderess in this twisting Edwardian mystery. Lois Margeritta Reddle has clawed her way from nothing to a prized position as secretary to the enigmatic Countess of Moron. Then a routine legal errand detonates her carefully constructed life: during a prison visit, she learns the infamous Mary Pinder, convicted of murder, shares her exact birthmarks and a childhood scar. Could she be the daughter abandoned to an orphanage while her mother rotted behind bars? Abandoning her position, Lois finds herself hunted by invisible hands, mysterious gifts arrive, attempts on her life multiply, and the charming Michael Dorn reveals himself as a detective assigned to the very case that could destroy her. As she penetrates the glittering surface of English society, she uncovers secrets that powerful figures would kill to keep buried. Wallace delivers pulse-quickening suspense wrapped in sharp observations about class and identity, the kind of intricate puzzle that made him the master of his era.
