In the spring of 1938 Inspector Max Hamilton leaves the village of St. Basil in the Midlands of England for a holiday in London. He soon meets Sir John Cross, the head of the Special Operations section of Scotland Yard. At the urging of his friend, Cameron Philby, Max accepts a position and the country policeman soon finds himself in the center of London's upper class social milieu. The murder of a beautiful adventuress sets in motion a tale of murder, intrigue and treachery. Inspector Hamilton is charged with uncovering those who have been corrupted by the shimmering face of evil.

Arlene Rubens Balin is a third generation San Franciscan and now resides in Sonoma, California with her husband, Kon. This is Mrs. Balin's third book. The first was Born Stateless: A Young Man's Story 1923 t0 1957-a memoir of her husband's life in Japan and Shanghai before and throughout World War II. Her second book was an English mystery set in the midlands of England just before the war titled With Intent to Murder: An Inspector Maxwell Hamilton Mystery.