A death on Waterloo bridge, a body in the river near Wapping, a lady robbed on Wych Street—all common enough daily incidents in early Victorian London. But when an outrageous theft is committed at the port, the clues from these seemingly unconnected crimes soon point irresistibly to a mystery deeper and murkier than the Thames itself. The rapacious Inspector Newsome has much to prove, ex-police detective George Williamson faces difficult choices, and the mysterious Noah Dyson is once more drawn unwillingly within the reach of the authorities. Meanwhile, competing against them all, there is the enigmatic figure calling himself Eldritch Batchem. Lives and reputations are at stake as the investigators pursue a macabre trail into the city's darkest passages, each seeking a prize more personal than mere justice. And in the race for a solution, all stand to discover much more than they are prepared for.