More than just a simple "whodunnit", this tale explores a world on the brink of change, towards the end of World War One. What tale of obsession and lies can bored Inspector Stone unearth from the death of Oliver Marchant on the day news is delivered of his son's demise at the Front? Is there a connection? What lies behind the icy calm of Oliver's widow, Alice, and the candid air of his unlikely gardener, Jocelyn? Does Simon Stone ever discover what links the cast of characters? Can he learn to understand others, or to interpret and express his own complex emotions? The story unfolds against a kaleidoscope of events from a lost past - the trial of Oscar Wilde, the rise of the Suffragettes, Art Nouveau, the "Glasgow Rose", the conchie's choice...blackmail, inheritance, convention, duty, freedom..."Narrative power is alluring and compelling." "Intelligent and engaging." "Bursting with characters, strong sense of period and absorbing plot."