Description
The next book you read will steal your mind. Its hidden messages will transform you into a puppet of murderers on course to seize Queen Victoria’s empire and turn millions into slaves. Your only hope: Count Balthazar, the gentleman adventurer, spy, and thief known to his many enemies as the Policeman of Secrets. His most important and dangerous mission throws him into a world of steam power and temptation, wild sexuality and betrayal, where the rest of your life depends on the turn of a page. This devilish and devious rogue must overcome the Arcanum, the powerful conspirators who have wormed their way to the centre of the British Empire. To do so he will have to combine his many talents with a touch of courage and a dash of style. He will also need bookseller Solomon Snow, who is reluctantly dragged into this hidden war but has skills that may surprise everybody. Against them is the deadly, manipulative, and seductive Elizabeta. Just days away from victory, with countless lives hanging in the balance, she pursues her own irresistible sensual desires. Discovering the Arcanum’s lethal secrets will involve an asylum inmate, gentlemen’s clubs, undersea ships, a unique circus, and a giant train. Armed only with their courage and an arsenal of unusual devices, a brave band of misfits fight for freedom before a decisive evening that could see the Empire saved... or its people doomed. Join Balthazar as he hurries to save nations with flair, fearlessness, and a flute.
Chapter 1 Part 1
