Upon learning that she has been falsely accused of breaching her publishing contract, the normally mild-mannered Charlotte Brontë sets off for London to clear her name. But when she unintentionally witnesses a murder, Charlotte finds herself embroiled in a dangerous chain of events. With the aid of her sisters, Emily and Anne, and of the suspiciously well-informed but irresistibly attractive brother of the victim, Charlotte works to unravel a deadly web of intrigue that threatens not only her own safety but the very fabric of the British Empire. Charlotte is plunged into a thrilling adventure and a passionate romance that leads her from the peaceful Yorkshire moors to the crime-infested streets of London, across the sea to the Continent to the ports of Cornwall, the wilds of Scotland, and the palaces of Queen Victoria herself. Will Charlotte be able to stop a devious invisible villain whose schemes threaten her life, her family, and her country? Laura Joh Rowland's Sano Ichiro samurai detective series has enthralled tens of thousands of readers. Now the author turns her gifts for historical fiction to Victorian England in this thriller starring the legendary 19th century author Charlotte Brontë and her equally famous family. Laura Joh Rowland is the author of twelve other books, including the critically acclaimed Red Chrysanthemum . The granddaughter of Chinese and Korean immigrants, she was educated at the University of Michigan and now lives in New Orleans with her husband.