China Bohannon, 1890s bookkeeper turned sleuth, is branching out...Although still working with her uncle's detective agency, Doyle & Howe Investigations, she's almost given up on becoming a partner and is turning to providing security services, something her uncle, Montgomery Howe, and his partner, Gratton Doyle, aren't interested in. Suitable applicants are hard to find, but she settles on a trustworthy old acquaintance, a somewhat iffy person who likes his booze, and a handsome stranger. When an important job comes up, she has to go with the available crew. China is an excellent investigator. The who, what, and why, of this vendetta becomes clear and, as is China's experience so far, she discovers a woman directly behind the crime.