Lord Francis Powerscourt must save the life of Queen-Empress Victoria.

England, 1897. London is preparing for Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, the celebration to mark her sixtieth year as Queen and Empress of a quarter of the surface of the globe. The immense importance of the occasion inevitably brings danger in its wake. The troubles begin when a body is found floating in the Thames. Lord Francis Powerscourt, a private investigator trusted by the court, is called in. His research leads him to a mysterious mansion in Oxfordshire, with ancient temples in its gardens and more recent secrets in the house. There a second corpse is found, burnt to death, the door of the victim's room locked from the outside. Following the deaths by water and fire, Francis is led into the arcane world of bonds and futures in the City of London, which in turn takes him back to his native Ireland and a terrifying night encounter deep in the Wicklow Mountains. As the investigation proceeds, Powerscourt realizes that more is at stake than murder, and his mission is far greater than simply to find a killer?upon his success or failure lies the success of the Imperial Jubilee.

Powerscourt's own life, and that of his family, will also stand in terrible danger before he can solve this mystery. Will Victoria's loyal subjects be able to salute their monarch in safety? Only if Powerscourt can crack the riddle of Death and the Jubilee.