"Thomas De Quincey, infamous for his memoir, 'Confessions of an English Opium-Eater', is the major suspect in a series of ferocious mass murders identical to ones that terrorized London forty-three years earlier...Desperate to clear his name but crippled by opium addiction, De Quincey is aided by his devoted daughter Emily and a pair of determined Scotland Yard detectives." --inside front cover.

Thomas De Quincey, best known for his sensational memoir Confessions of an Opium Eater, is the prime suspect in a series of horrific murders that paralyze London. The killer seems to be imitating De Quincey's true-crime essay "On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts." Desperate to prevent more atrocities but crippled by addiction, De Quincey is aided by his brilliant daughter, Emily, and two determined Scotland Yard detectives.

Thomas De Quincey, infamous for his memoir, 'Confessions of an English Opium-Eater', is the major suspect in a series of ferocious mass murders identical to ones that terrorized London forty-three years earlier. Desperate to clear his name but crippled by opium addiction, De Quincey is aided by his devoted daughter Emily and a pair of determined Scotland Yard detectives.