It is Alexander's first novel about Sir John Fielding, organizer of London's first police force.

[1] Young Jeremy Proctor, recently orphaned, is taken in as ward by blind Sir John Fielding, Magistrate of the Bow Street court and organizer of London's first police force.

When Sir John investigates the apparent suicide of Lord Goodhope, it is Jeremy's eyes which note the crucial clue.

Joan Ruddiman thought that both fans of mystery and historical fiction would find something to appreciate.

[2] Val McDermid, writing in the Manchester Evening News, opined that the "pedestrian plotting" and "conventional structure" was made up for by the "lively prose and vivid period feel".