Murder is such a nasty business...

Mikaela Forsythe has returned from her safari in Africa with Lily and her great aunt. She's survived to fight another day, which is more than can be said for one Antony Collingwood, the victim in the latest murder investigation thrust upon her by Sir Avery of the Special Services Agency. But she made an agreement in order to save Brodie's life, and now she must honor it.

It's a particularly sensitive case, as the victim is a close friend of the Prince of Wales and a man who apparently led a double life. As she tries to track down who this man was and why someone would want him dead, the trail leads from Brussels to Frankfurt and uncovers everything from an affair with an exotic actress to clandestine schemes, and a scandal that could endanger England and the whole of the Empire.

As murder and scandal threaten to undermine the succession to the throne, there is a further complication in the case. Sir Avery insists that Brodie must assist Mikaela in the investigation.

They haven't seen each other since the argument that sent Mikaela off to Africa and out of Brodie's life. Can they work together to solve this murder and thwart foreign spies and assassins that are determined to stop them at all cost, or is the break between them irrevocable?