The woman unknown: Deirdre Fitzpatrick is married to a man who wants to know where she really goes when supposedly taking care of her sick mother and calls on the expertise of Kate Shackleton, amateur sleuth extraordinaire to investigate. The gentleman: Everett Runcie is a banker facing ruin and disgrace. His American heiress wife will no longer pay for his mistakes, or tolerate his infidelity, and is seeking a divorce. The murder: When a chambermaid enters Runcie's hotel room, she is shocked to find that he is alone and dead. Suddenly Kate is thrown into the depths of an altogether more sinister investigation.