Publisher's Synopsis
When the MAUDE IDRIS docks at the Pool of London, laden with ebony, spices and tusks of ivory, Clement Louvain leaves four armed seamen on board to guard the precious cargo. But in the morning the ivory is gone and one of the seamen is dead. Hindered by his ignorance of the river and its customs, but badly requiring the huge fees that Louvain is prepared to pay, William Monk begins his investigation into the theft and murder. Meanwhile, Hester's work at the refuge for sick prostitutes is encountering acute financial difficulties. When a man arrives promising to pay a huge sum for the care of one particular woman, Hester is astonished. He is none other than Clement Louvain...