A blow to the head with a block of amethyst has left multibillionaire Nathan Barrister dead - while nearby a vault its door ajar sits filled with priceless paintings jewellery and other treasures. Lieutenant Eve Dallas?s husband Roarke - who misspent his youth in Ireland as a scrappy thief - recognises at least two stolen pieces among the hoard. The crime scene suggests a burglar caught in the act. But only one item seems to be missing. Then it?s revealed that the vault had actually belonged to the victim?s late father - and no one in the household knew it was there until a recent remodelling project exposed it. To protect the family name and business they explain to Eve they?d been looking for a way to return the ill-gotten gains anonymously and avoid the police. But now the police are all over their elegant house and have a bigger bloodier mystery to solve. By all accounts Nathan Barrister was a good man a generous employer a devoted husband and father. As for his father - he clearly had secrets. Now it?s up to Eve and her team to find out if those secrets got Nathan killed - and if it was a crime of passion or revenge.
