When kidnappers choose a riverside slum as the site of a ransom exchange for the wife of real estate developer Harry Exeter, the Thames River Police and Commander William Monk shadow Harry to the spot to ensure that no harm comes to him or his captive wife. But once there, Monk and five of his best men are attacked from all sides. Certain that one of his colleagues has betrayed him, he delves into each of their pasts, in this 24th novel in Anne Perry's mid-Victorian series, a New York Times Best Crime Book of the Year. Soon Monk must choose between his own safety and the chance to solve the mystery—and to figure out where his men's loyalties really lie.

"Perry makes cunning work of the plot, which raises issues of trust and loyalty while driving home a grim message about the vulnerability of women who entrust their fortunes to unscrupulous men."—NYTBR