Whited Sepulchres - Couverture rigide

Young Killian Melville is arguably the most brilliant architect of the age; passionate about his art, he is liked by everyone. So when he visits Sir Oliver Rathbone, in need of a lawyer to represent him over his alleged 'breach of promise' to marry the daughter of his patron, Rathbone agrees despite his misgvings.

The case is not an easy one. Zillah is beautiful and even-tempered, heiress to a fortune and a good friend. What more could any man want? And why would Melville risk losing the professional reputation he has worked all his life to build?

Frustrated by his client's refusal to divulge any further information, and convined he is keeping something from him, Rathbone, his own professional integrity at stake, decides to ask his close friend Hester Latterly for an objective opinion about the case. She, meanwhile, has contacted William Monk to investigate a mysterious family matter from twenty years ago. Little do they realise that the three of them are about to tackle the most baffling and complex case with which they have ever been faced...

"CAPTIVATING . . . ONE OF PERRY'S MOST ENGROSSING PUZZLERS . . . A period piece in the best sense, the action seamlessly growing out of the social tapestry she weaves."
--People (A Page-Turner of the Week)

"No one weaves plot and subplots as seamlessly as Perry. . . . Fans will be delighted by the long-awaited romantic denouement, which brought tears to my eyes."
--Los Angeles Times

"The story is full of feeling and weighted with intelligent thought about the status of women in mid-Victorian society."
--The New York Times Book Review