The man who lies bleeding to death in a London brickyard is no ordinary drifter but a secret informant with
details of an international plot against the British government. Special Branch officer Thomas Pitt, hastening to
rendezvous with him, arrives seconds after the knife-wielding assassin-who, in turn, flees on an erratic course
that leads Pitt in wild pursuit to picturesque St. Malo on the French coast. Meanwhile, Pitt's supervisor, Victor
Narraway, stands accused of embezzling government funds. Since the man who ruined Narraway's career is
in Ireland, Pitt's clever wife, Charlotte, agrees to pose as Narraway's sister and accompany him to Dublin to
investigate. But unknown to Pitt and Narraway, a shadowy plotter is setting a trap that, once sprung, could
destroy not just reputations but the British empire itself.
