In 1840, London's theatre world is shocked by the brutal killing of one of its youngest and most successful entrepreneurs. It's the eve of Christmas, and Inspector Owen Endersby, of the newly formed London Detective Police Force, is called upon to pursue "the verdict of murder" and apprehend the culprit as quickly as possible. The inspector must soon contend with street vendors, downstairs servants, money lenders and the greatest performers of the theatre world, and he must root out the villain using all the techniques at his disposal -- disguise, break and enter, bribery and even physical force. In an eloquent tale of retribution and justice, Jon Redfern takes us on a dramatic tour of Victorian London in all its misery and grandeur.

Winner of the 2008 Arthur Ellis Award for best Crime Novel.