In the spring of 1812, the Luddites are on the march, Lord Byron is taking London drawing rooms by storm, and Penelope Wolfe, estranged wife of feckless artist Jeremy, is making her living as a lady's companion. When one of the household's footmen turns up in the garden with a knife in his heart, Penelope and Bow Street Runner John Chase become entangled in a web of family secrets and political conspiracy.

With the help of barrister Edward Buckler, Chase follows the trail of a mysterious mad woman caught peeping in the window at the corpse. Penelope, meanwhile, struggles to fit into the fashionable world, encountering people who hide resentment and deceit under smooth smiles.

Set against a backdrop of millennial fervor with thousands awaiting the end of the world, Blood for Blood explores the simple truth that every drop of blood spilled will, in time, be avenged.