Why was homosexuality made illegal in the UK in the summer of 1885, so suddenly and unexpectedly - leading to the persecution of tens of thousands over the next eight decades? This book looks at the strange story behind that decision, and the furore that tore apart Irish society the previous year - and retraces the journey of the author's ancestor who fled from arrest at the height of the affair.But even in London, he wasn't safe, escaping a second time ten years later in a moment of fear that was unprecedented in modern British history, that swept though the gay community.This is a ground-breaking book, part history part detective story, that looks back at the moment society turned on homosexuality with such venom, and why it happened.