"Scenes [are] described in lush, sensuous strokes by Ms. Perry. . . . Monk, the dark and brooding hero . . .  infuses this luxuriantly detailed series with its romantic soul."--The New York Times Book Review.When Countess Zorah Rostova asks London barrister Sir Oliver Rathbone to defend her against a charge of slander, he is astonished to find himself accepting. For, without a shred of evidence, the countess insists that the prince of her small German principality was murdered by his wife, the woman who was responsible for his exile twenty years before. Though private investigator William Monk and his friend Hester Latterly, manage to establish that the prince was indeed murdered, as events unfold the likeliest suspect seems to be Countess Zorah herself. . . ."THE DENOUEMENT IS UNEXPECTED AND INGENIOUS."--Los Angeles Times"Perry serves up as arresting an opening as ever."--Kirkus ReviewsA MAIN SELECTION OF THE MYSTERY GUILD®