Mary, a desperately poor cleaner, is a witness to murder. Archie, one of the first artists to work for the police, draws the man she says she saw at the scene. Fascinated by her 'face full of bones', he persuades her to sit for a portrait, but the man who buys the picture really wants to buy Mary. Archie has no idea how this one woman links his wealthiest clients, the poorest slums, terrible secrets and a violent thug - the man Mary described to the police. As this gripping thriller uncoils, Jacques paints an intricate, vibrant picture of the layers of Victorian London.
