In Victorian New York, Sarah and Frank Malloy are enjoying married life and looking to adopt Catherine, the child whom Sarah rescued and has been raising as her daughter. Then the newlyweds discover that down-and-out actor Parnell Vaughn, Catherine's legal father, has a claim on the child, and is demanding a financial settlement to relinquish parental rights. When Frank returns with the money and finds Vaughn beaten to death, all evidence points to Frank as the culprit. In this 21st book in the Gaslight Mysteries series, Sarah and Frank enlist those closest to them to help hunt for Vaughn's killer as Frank's own life—and the future of their family—hang in the balance.

"[Victoria Thompson's] Gaslight series is a consistent winner."—Booklist