Albert Beauchamp disappeared in 1856, just before Christmas; when he reappears more than a year later, he's in several pieces, packed in a shipping crate in New Orleans. In this sequel to Absence of Mercy, set in the Tammany Hall era of New York City, inspectors Jasper Lightner and Hieronymus Law find that Beauchamp had a lot of friends, but each had a reason to hate him. Following leads that reach back to the 1840s, the two uncover society scandals that still threaten the city's bigwigs, and a blackmailer who is willing to kill again.