Scotland, 1832. A new play celebrating the criminal exploits of Bonnie Brock Kincaid is quite a hit, but Lady Kiera Darby and her husband Sebastian Gage are disturbed to see that two of the characters are based on themselves. Kincaid claims that it wasn't his fault, but the Gages aren't so sure. Inspired by the play, a rash of crimes break out across the city, but when the publisher is murdered, Kincaid is a possible culprit and so are the Gages, who have been outspoken in their condemnation of the tale. Now, the Gages are on a hunt to unmask the killer, and in this ninth outing (after A Stroke of Malice) they will also have to contend with the cholera outbreak still wreaking havoc throughout the area and the impending birth of their child.