Dr. Poppy Stamford, sister of the man who would introduce John Watson to Sherlock Holmes, teams up once again with Sherlock in a new adventure. One of Sherlock's Baker Street Irregulars, Wiggins, uncovers a dismembered body in a shallow grave. Poppy and Sherlock set out to solve the murder and suddenly discover that it may be linked to the mysterious mutilation of Her Majesty's swans. Working under the eerie cloak of one of the most devastating fogs in London's history, the case takes Poppy and Sherlock from the most sordid neighborhoods of dirty, old Victorian London to the lofty halls of the Privy Council.

It is 1878, and Dr. Poppy Stamford has reluctantly rekindled her relationship with Sherlock Holmes. Though it has been almost four years since they parted on uneasy terms and he continues to suppress his feelings for her, they are still intrigued and inspired—and frustrated—by each other. When her beloved uncle is arrested in relation to a series of murders near the British Museum, Poppy and the burgeoning detective set out to find the evidence to set him free. Can they track down the real killer in time to save Uncle Ormond from the rope? In the latest adventure of Poppy Stamford and Sherlock Holmes, the two not only uncover secret societies, but find themselves soul-searching to clarify their beliefs about an array of moral issues including euthanasia and the death penalty . . . as well as their feelings toward one another.