When amateur sleuth detective Kate Shackleton receives a dawn telephone call from her cousin James, his news soon snaps Kate into wakefulness. The India Office seek her on-the-spot help in finding a Maharajah, last seen on the Bolton Abbey estate. He has with him a hugely valuable diamond.Investigative successes and good family connections put Kate in the highly trusted category.

Perceived as 'establishment', Kate feels an outsider in her sympathies. One thing she is sure of: her own skills and insights. Qualities that she is sure will help her unravel the latest disappearance on that fateful summer's day . . .