Several murders, in an aptly named slum, very near Westminster Abbey and Parliament, leave a "calling card" mutilation so gruesome that Pitt can't even name it to Charlotte. The first murder hits close to Society, because Pitt thinks he recognizes the victim as a footman in a Upper Class home where murder intruded before. Since he's not certain, he has to get the house's owner to identify the victim. Pitt's right. The man who was once a handsome footman had become the owner of several brothels. Further murders had the same mutilations; Pitt's job is to learn how else they were connected, and why they were killed. Charlotte and Emily get involved, much against the will of their husbands. Not just Victorian class issues are highlighted here, but gender issues too. Well done.

Great writing. The Victorian political issues are skillfully embedded in the murder mystery. Some are valid even today.