James Leatheran was found dead at his writing desk with a pen embedded in his throat, an ironic death for a man whose acerbic newspaper column had made him so many enemies. Among the targets of his venom were a wealthy banker, a respected police inspector and a humble clock repairer named Jacob Silver. With libel lawsuits brewing and Leatheran's family closing ranks, it falls to Jacob and his housemaid Sarah Simm to clear their names and find a murderer who is intent on having the final word.

'Writing on the Wall' is the third book in the Silver and Simm Victorian Mysteries series.