The year is 1757. On a clear morning in mid-June, Lord John Grey emerges from London?s Beefsteak Club, his mind in turmoil. A nobleman and a high-ranking officer in His Majesty?s Army, Grey has just witnessed something shocking. But his efforts to avoid a scandal that might destroy his family are interrupted by something still more urgent: the Crown appoints him to investigate the brutal murder of a comrade in arms, who may have been a traitor. Obliged to pursue two inquiries at once, Major Gr..ey finds himself ensnared in a web of treachery and betrayal that touches every stratum of English society - and threatens all he holds dear. From the bawdy houses of London?s night-world to the stately drawing rooms of the nobility, and from the blood of a murdered corpse to the thundering seas ruled by the majestic fleet of the East India Company, Lord John pursues the elusive trails of a vanishing footman and a woman in green velvet, who may hold the key to everything - or nothing. The early days of the Seven Years War come brilliantly to life in this historical mystery by an author whose unique and compelling storytelling has engrossed millions of readers worldwide.