In 1906 London, Lady Natasha Dorrington is drawn into a mystery involving an ancient pagan curse and a diabolical plan to plunge the world into war . . .

An Admiralty courier has been murdered, and plans for the Dreadnought—a new battleship that will upset the balance of naval power—are stolen. All evidence implicates Great Britain’s international rival: Germany. Tasha is summoned to help solve the crime—bringing her to the attention of Dierdre, the priestess of a malevolent cult intent on exacting vengeance on Western civilization for the long-ago decimation of her religious sect.

Cleverly leveraging the greed of giant armaments firms in England and Germany, Dierdre plans to frame Germany in an attack on the Dreadnought. In her arrogance, Dierdre decides to simultaneously engage Tasha in a contest of wits. As the action moves from fog-bound London to a desolate island off the coast of Scotland, Dierdre manipulates Tasha’s overconfidence, crafting a mystery that lures her into a labyrinth of false leads, lethal traps, and an unexpected romance. As Tasha pieces together the puzzle, Dierdre plays her top card and strikes at Tasha’s vulnerable heart by kidnapping her young daughter—left defenseless in her mother’s occupational absence.

Thus begins an epic struggle between two formidable women: one madly intent on enslavement and revenge, the other fighting for a free and rational humanity—and the precious life of her only daughter—in this riveting novel of historical mystery and adventure from an Emmy Award-winning writer.

Brooks Arthur Wachtel