<p>The murder of a prostitute named Ada McKinley in a bedroom on decrepit Pentecost Alley should occasion no stir in Victoria&rsquo;s great metropolis, but under the victim&rsquo;s body, the police find a Hellfire Club badge inscribed with the name &ldquo;Finlay Fitzjames&rdquo;&mdash;a name that instantly draws Superintendent Thomas Pitt into the case. Finlay&rsquo;s father&mdash;immensely wealthy, powerful, and dangerous&mdash;refuses to consider the possibility that his son has been in Ada McKinley&rsquo;s bed. The implication is clear: Pitt is to arrest someone other than Finlay Fitzjames for Ada&rsquo;s demise. But Thomas Pitt is not a man to be intimidated, and with the help of his quick-witted wife, Charlotte, he stubbornly pursues his investigation&mdash;one that twists and turns like London&rsquo;s own ancient streets.</p>