Five years after Charles II's triumphant return to London there is growing mistrust of his extravagant court and of corruption among his officials - and when a cart laden with gunpowder explodes outside the General Letter Office, it is immediately clear that such an act is more than an expression of outrage at the inefficiency of the postal service.
As intelligencer to the Lord Chamberlain, Thomas Chaloner cannot understand why a man of known incompetence is put in charge of investigating the attack while he is diverted to make enquiries about the poisoning of birds in the King's aviary in St James's Park. He becomes even more suspicious of his employer's motives when he discovers that the witnesses he needs to interview have close links to the business conducted in the General Letter Office, activities more firmly centred on intercepting people's mail than delivering it.
Then human rather than avian victims are poisoned, and Chaloner knows he has to ignore his master's instructions and use his own considerable wits to defeat an enemy whose deadly tentacles reach into the very heart of the government: an enemy who has the power and expertise to destroy anyone who stands in the way ...
It was not a pleasant trek from St James's to Dowgate. The wind cut through Chaloner's clothes and more snow was in the air. He tried to walk quickly, but the streets were too crowded and ice underfoot made speed impractical.
He eventually arrived at Post House Yard and stared at the General Letter Office, wondering what was happening inside it that he had been told was so dangerous to the country's stability. The square was busy, approaching the deadline for domestic mail, and there was an air of quiet industry as people hurried up and down the marble steps.
Chaloner noticed a cart near the entrance to the square. Vehicles tended to avoid Post House Yard, because the alley into it was narrow and they ran the risk of getting jammed. The cart was not very wide, but it was tall, and piled high with firewood. There was no horse in its traces, and it had every appearance of being abandoned.
Chaloner frowned. Fuel was expensive, so why was no one guarding it? Moreover, it was oddly stacked, with logs laid at peculiar angles. Then he saw a wisp of smoke curl from inside the heap and caught the distinctive reek of gunpowder. In a flash, he knew exactly what was about to happen.
Intrigue, detection, and action are blended perfectly with plot elements drawn from historical details that make the era come to life
