Yet to Inspector Sam Blackstone, the case is as puzzling as any he has ever come across. Why should a corpse dressed the in rags of a commoner have the face of a gentleman? And if this man does belong to noble stock, why has no one come forward to claim the body? As his investigation proceeds, Blackstone finds himself entering the world of the aristocracy-in which the presence of an ordinary policeman is far from welcome-and tramping the dangerous streets of London's Little Russia-where English law and order are not welcome. Death seems to stalk him, and as each new clue leads to nothing more than a new murder, Blackstone comes to realize that he is caught up in what may turn out to be the most horrendous crime of the century... is an expertly plotted Victorian mystery that will keep readers guessing to the last page. worked as a teacher both in England and Iran - where she witnessed the fall of the Shah. She now writes full time.