1910: Twenty-five-year-old Daniel Pitt is a junior barrister in London and eager to prove himself, independent of his renowned detective father's influence. And the new case before him will be the test. When his client, arrogant biographer Russell Graves, is found guilty of murdering his wife, Daniel is dispatched by his superior to find the real killer before Graves faces the hangman's noose--in only twenty-one days. Could the violent death have anything to do with Graves's profession? Someone in power may be framing the biographer to keep damaging secrets from coming to light. It is a theory that leads Daniel's investigation unexpectedly to London's Special Police Branch--and disturbingly, to one of his father's closest colleagues. Caught between duty to the law and a fierce desire to protect his family, Daniel must call on his keen intellect--and trust his detective's instincts--to find the truth in a tangle of dark deception. Lest an innocent man swing for another's heinous crime.