caro peacock, the acclaimed author of a foreign affair, once again ingeniously blends history, suspense, and adventure and returns an endearing and exceptional heroine to the fictional fold. in victoria's england, there are perilous intrigues a proper young lady would do well to avoid . . . liberty lane, still in her early twenties, is doing her best to make a new life for herself in london after being bruised by loss and treachery. but there's no chance for her to settle down as a conventional young lady. first, a disturbingly attractive young politician, benjamin disraeli, wants her to use her contacts in the theatre world to find out more about a prima ballerina with a notorious love life called columbine. he hints that some important interests may be at stake. then columbine is murdered in her dressing room, after an on-stage brawl with a younger and less successful dancer, who becomes prime suspect. liberty is at the center of the investigation because one of her dearest friends, daniel suter, is convinced of the girl's innocence and will put his own neck in danger to save her. liberty's determination to save them from the gallows leads her from the upper reaches of the aristocracy to some of london's lowlife haunts, posing the question: how far would you go to save a friend?