London, 1887. Veronica Speedwell intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime. But fate has other plans. When Veronica thwarts her own abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron, he offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker - a reclusive and bad-tempered natural historian. When the Baron is murdered, Veronica and Stoker are forced to go on the run from an elusive assailant, wary partners in search of the villainous truth.

Deanna Raybourn is the author of the award-winning New York Times bestselling Lady Julia Grey series and several standalone novels. The Lady Julia series has been nominated for five RITA Awards, an Agatha Award, and numerous Dilys Wynn, Last Laugh, Daphne du Maurier, and Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Awards. Deanna lives in Virginia with her husband and daughter.