Short Synopsis
When a frantic widow visits detective Charles Lenox in search of her missing son, Lenox begins investigating a series of bizarre clues and must race to discover the truth about the death and the mysterious "September Society" before it's too late.

Full Synopsis
In the small hours of the morning one fall day in 1866, a frantic widow visits detective Charles Lenox. Lady Annabelle's problem is simple: her beloved son, George, has vanished from his room at Oxford. When Lenox visits his alma mater to investigate he discovers a series of bizarre clues, including a murdered cat and a card cryptically referring to "The September Society." Then, just as Lenox realizes that the case may be deeper than it appears, a student dies, the victim of foul play.

What could the September Society have to do with it? What specter, returned from the past, is haunting gentle Oxford? Lenox, with the support of his devoted friends in London's upper crust, must race to discover the truth before it comes searching for him, and dangerously close to home.

"Even the most astute [listener] will be guessing to the end. Another triumph." ---Library Journal Starred Review

"An intriguing glimpse of student life at Oxford during the mid-Victorian era with a sleuth to rival Sherlock Holmes, only with more foibles and warmth than the original." ---Rhys Bowen, author of Tell Me, Pretty Maiden

"Reminiscent of Ruth Rendell and Elizabeth George . . . one hopes to see more of Lenox and Lady Jane." ---Booklist

Library Journal Review