Seemingly unconnected events are pulling Mycroft Holmes in several directions at once. There are the usual dispatches to read and spy networks to monitor - England's and those of the enemies of the Empire. European politics seem to be heating up again and, to prevent the leaders of an anarchist group from reaching England's shores, Mycroft must, much to his dismay, become part of the intended reconciliation of a husband and wife.Then there are the minor distractions: Why is a gentleman who claims to be Turkish seeking his supposedly kidnapped brother in London? Why does an eminent phrenologist urgently want Mycroft's opinion on the inhabitants of his asylum? Who has been following Mycroft and his estimable secretary, the amiable Paterson Guthrie, through foggy streets? What motivated the attempted assassination of an Admiralty courier on Mycroft's own doorstep? When the lovely Penelope Gatspy saves Guthrie's life, is it because of the attraction between them, or on orders of the mysterious "lodge" she serves?And, most important - to Mycroft - what is behind the kidnapping of his old friend Edmund Sutton, an actor currently enjoying a triumphant run as MacBeth? Read Less