The war with Napoleon may be long over, but Captain Nicholas Ainsley is still feeling the effects in his maimed left arm and need for justice. In a stroke of luck, he gains employment as an inquiry agent for the famous Second Sons Inquiry Agency, but his first case is a troubling one. The Earl of Taunton is murdered and Nicholas soon finds not one but far too many suspects. On the night the earl died, a pair of thieves broke in and stole the jewel-encrusted murder weapon. Some believe the thieves killed Taunton during the robbery, however Nicholas soon uncovers others with even stronger motives for wanting the earl dead. Taunton had a penchant for provoking raging jealousy in those around him and hiding his illicit activities behind a series of illusions including a supposed mistress, Kathryn Whitethorn-Litton.

As for Kathryn, she had excellent reasons to trade respectability for a tenuous place in the earl’s household. She believes her father’s death at Taunton’s country estate years ago was not the natural one the earl claimed. She had hoped to discover the truth before Taunton decides to get rid of her.

Was Taunton’s murder related to the far older suspicious death, or was his stabbing an act of desperation? The riddle tests Nicholas’ mettle and his willingness to rip away the veils of illusion surrounding the earl’s life to reveal the truth.