At Wychmere Hall, an anonymous letter is never merely anonymous; it is a match held to a room full of dry secrets.
England, 1932. When threatening letters cast doubt on a society engagement, wealthy private investigator Julian Ashcombe is invited to the Cotswolds to discover who is bent on wrecking the match. With him comes Clara Bennett, his sharp-eyed colleague, who knows that a gracious household can conceal its worst quarrels behind good manners.
Then art dealer Felix Harcourt is found dead, and the letters no longer look like spite. Every guest has a motive for silence; every account of the evening seems to support the next. As Julian tests the polished stories offered in drawing rooms and gardens, Clara notices the overlooked details: a message carried at the wrong time, an old obligation, a sheet of paper that should not have changed hands.
A small physical clue proves that the night everyone remembers cannot be the night that happened. To find a murderer, Julian and Clara must decide who feared the truth enough to kill for it.
