The gentleman tied to the lamppost on Westminster Bridge is most
elegantly attired--fresh boutonniere, silk hat, white evening scarf--and
he is quite, quite dead, as a result of his thoroughly cut throat. Why
should anyone kill Sir Lockwood Hamilton, the kindest of family men and
most conscientious member of Parliament? Before Inspector Thomas Pitt
can even speculate on the reasons, a colleague of Sir Lockwood's meets
the same fate in the same spot. Public indignation is boundless, and
clever Charlotte Pitt, Thomas's wellborn wife, can't resist helping her
hard-pressed husband, scouting society's drawing rooms for clues to
these appalling crimes. Meanwhile, the Westminster Bridge Cutthroat
stalks another victim.