A naked body without a face is discovered on Cat's building site, and all work is cancelled, putting the project and her finances at risk. Unwillingly, she asks Marwood for a favour, to look into it and put pressure on the magistrayte to allow work to continue. Instead, he turns up two missing men, either of whim could be the victim, and connections that go right to the heart of the royal court, where a young Frenchwoman in dire straits has but one chance to secure any sort of future. 

Superbly plotted whodunnit set in London in the aftermath of the Great Fire with two plausibly clever and endearingly flawed protagonsists.