Tessa Crichton, actress and unwitting private detective, joins the cast of Host of Pleasures—a hit West End play opening its American run in Washington D.C.

All is not well backstage. Artistic temperament, old hates and new jealousies combine to create an explosive atmosphere among the cast. When one of the actors is found dead, he is initially thought the victim of street violence—then the possibility that he was murdered by someone closer to home starts to seem horribly likely.

Tessa, mixing intuition, charm and unassailable curiosity, is convinced this is no ordinary killing. Risking her own safety, and with help from Washington cop Inspector Meek, she slowly discovers the truth amongst a maze of suspects and motives.