Detective Chief Inspector Valentine Pierce is the second son of an Earl who has had to make his way in the world by joining the Metropolitan Police in London. He is respected and well regarded until a series of murders thrusts him into the spotlight.
Nicknamed the Primrose Strangler, a killer is running loose on the streets of London, strangling women and leaving behind his signature--a white primrose with each victim. When Val’s own fiancee is killed, the case becomes personal.
When a fourth woman is murdered, Val comes face to face with her sister, Caroline Derry. Caroline is an unusual woman for her time. Not content to sit at home and embroider, she is seeking help from her father to purchase buildings and renovate them to help give people in the Victorian slums a chance at a better life.
When her sister is killed, Caroline looks to the Inspector for justice. But as the clues become red herrings and the list of suspects grows, Val becomes convinced that the woman he is falling in love with may also be next on the killer’s list. He must solve the case and bring the killer in before another woman is found dead with a white primrose in her hands.