London, 1891. 

Deliveries. Opium. Regret. The only three things twenty-one-year-old Gabriel Ashmore's life consists of until four murder victims are found in the increasingly criminal city, all marked with the same black veins. Gabriel is connected to all four. He delivered Erebus to them, a new opium variant on the market, after being forced to provide for his family following the brutal death of his mother four years ago. 

Fearing his involuntary part in the murders, he becomes embroiled in an amateur investigation led by the wealthy aspiring detective Alexander Wakefield, supported by the Leader of the Opposition, Lord Benedict Granville. 

However, when they witness the fifth death, they realise nothing is as it seems in the city of veils and shadows. Truths become twisted, secrets are revealed and it soon becomes clear they are not dealing with a single killer, but the greatest criminal plot London has ever seen.

'A darkly enchanting and engrossing read – kept me hooked from start to finish.' James Brogden, critically acclaimed author of Bone Harvest