Lilliet Berne is a sensation of the Paris Opera, a legendary soprano with every accolade except an original role, every singers' chance at immortality. When one is finally offered to her, she realizes with alarm that the libretto is based on a hidden piece of her past. Only four could have betrayed her: one is dead, one loves her, one wants to own her. And one, she hopes, never thinks of her at all. As she mines her memories for clues, she recalls...

"Julian Kestrel, gentleman sleuth and dandy extraordinaire, becomes fascinated with an unsolved case involving the murder of a Milanese aristocrat and the disappearance of his protégé, a brilliant young English opera singer"-- back of cover.

Naples, March 1931. A bitter wind stalks the city streets, and murder lies at its chilled heart. As one of the world's greatest tenors, Maestro Vezzi, is found brutally murdered in his dressing room at Naples's famous San Carlo Theatre, the enigmatic and aloof Commissario Ricciardi is called in to investigate. Arrogant and bad-tempered, Vezzi was hated by many, but with the livelihoods of the opera at stake, who would have committed this callous act?...