A Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Mystery by New York Times bestselling author Deborah Crombie Then... In the struggling but close-knit South London neigh of Crystal Palace – once the apex of Queen Victoria's glamorous Great Exhibition, ruinously gutted by fire – a gifted boy and his new neighbor, a solitary young widow, make a pact of friendship; only to see it tragically shattered by a shocking betrayal... And now... Detective Inspector Gemma James's first case as lead Murder Investigator takes her to seemingly respectable, prominent barrister, found dead at a seedy/low rent hotel in Crystal Palace – naked, bound, and strangled. Is his death a sordid accident – or a more sinister murder? Gemma's investigation leads her, and husband, Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid into a labyrinth of secrets, murder, truths into the dark corners of the human condition...and truths better left uncovered...