'Taylor is the modern master of a very Dickensian underworld ... A sense of brooding evil pervades the complex plot, handled with great assurance.' — The Independent
1934, London.
Into the decaying cul-de-sac of Bleeding Heart Square steps aristocratic Lydia Langstone fleeing an abusive marriage. However, unknown to Lydia, a dark mystery haunts Bleeding Heart Square. What happened to Miss Penhow, the middle-aged spinster who owns the house and who vanished four years earlier? Why is a seedy plain-clothes policeman obsessively watching the square? What is making struggling journalist Rory Wentwood so desperate to contact Miss Penhow?
And why are parcels of rotting hearts being sent to Joseph Serridge, the last person to see Miss Penhow alive?
'The period atmosphere, as in all Taylor's work, is flawless. He simply gets better and better.' — The Daily Telegraph