A richly atmospheric and compelling Georgian mystery woven around the real characters John Fielding, the phenomenal sightless magistrate known as the and "Blind Beak and ", whose Runners formed London's early police force, and John Rawlings, the Apothecary reputed to have invented soda water.Having just finished his indentures, Rawlings is celebrating at Vaux Hall Pleasure Gardens when he trips over the body of a young girl. Summoned to the magistrate's office as prime suspect, Rawlings not only clears his own name but impresses Fielding so much with his powers of recollection that he is asked to investigate the crime. From gaming hell to fashionable house, Rawlings follows a trail of lustful liaisons and illicit intrigue which prove beyond a shadow of doubt that the girl has quite a past . a past filled with threatening secrets.