In this tantalising novel, set largely in Paris and the Languedoc, touches of comedy illuminate a tale of danger, intrigue and discovery.
It is the late 1940s, and Vicky Hampden leaves the rationing and gloom of post-war London and goes to France to look for her wartime lover, Philippe d'Icere. Unsure if he's dead or alive, she's determined either to find him or to find out how and why he died.
But stirring up the ghosts of war isn't always safe, and Vicky's powerful and sinister father sends a young lawyer, Julius Drummond, to make her return to England. However, Julius has his own reasons for being interested in Philippe's fate, and instead of persuading her to go back to London, he encourages Vicky in her search. It leads them to the south of France, where memories of the Resistance are still fresh, and Vicky discovers not only how many people had reason to want Philippe dead, but just how far they are prepared to go to keep the truth hidden.
