"[A] delightful hot toddy of a winter's read." —LA TIMES

It was the best of times, it was the worst of crimes in this delightful Dickensian romp, with the canonical author teaming up with a famous upstart to solve a devilish murder.

In Victorian London, Charles Dickens and his protege, the renowned author Wilkie Collins, make the acquaintance of the shrewdest mind either would ever encounter: Inspector William Field of the newly formed Metropolitan Protectives. A gentleman's brutal murder brings the three men together in an extraordinary investigation that leads Dickens to the beautiful young actress Ellen Ternan. Almost immediately, she becomes the love of his life. But first, Dickens must protect her from the noose, as she is the main suspect.