Paris - the city of romance . . . where Lady Emily struggles to unmask a murderer amid a case of assumed identities and shadowy figures.

After an odd encounter at a grand masquerade ball, Lady Emily becomes embroiled in the murder investigation of one of the guests, a sometime actress trying to pass herself off as the mysterious heiress and world traveller Estella Lamar. Each small discovery, however, leads to more questions. Was the intended victim Miss Lamar or the imposter? And who would want either of them dead?

As Emily and her husband try to make sense of all this, a larger puzzle begins to emerge: no one has actually seen Estella Lamar in years, since her only contact has been through letters and the occasional blurry news photograph. Is she even alive? Emily's investigation of this double mystery takes her from London to Paris, where, along with her friend Cécile, she must scour the darkest corners of the city in search of the truth.

Praise for Tasha Alexander:

'Tasha Alexander has created Victorian London's most colourful sleuth.' Jacqueline Winspear

'Tasha Alexander is one to watch - and read . . . she knows how to construct a compelling plot . . . there's depth and sensitivity which sets her apart.' Huffington Post