London 1664. Harry Lytle has just discovered he has a young cousin, Anne Giles. But he's had the pleasure of meeting her for the first time as a corpse. With some robust assistance from David Dowling, a resourceful, impressively well - built, but hygiene - deficient, butcher, Harry sets out to track down Anne's killer. Together they follow a trail of blood, conspiracy and corruption that takes them to the dark and murky corners of Restoration London, featuring a great cast of ne'er - do - wells, cheeky wenches, harmless witches, likeable villains, and not a few unsavoury fellows keen on sending Lytle and his companion to an early grave.