The year is 1855. The Crimean War rages. The incompetence of Britishcommanders causes the fall of the government. The Empire teeters.Amid this crisis comes opium-eater Thomas De Quincey, one of the mostnotorious and brilliant personalities of Victorian England. Along withhis irrepressible daughter, Emily, and their Scotland Yard companions,Detectives Ryan and Becker, De Quincey finds himself threatened by anadversary who threatens the heart of the nation.This killer targets members of the upper echelons of British society,leaving with each corpse the name of someone who previously attemptedto assassinate Queen Victoria. The evidence indicates that the ultimatevictim will be Victoria herself. As De Quincey and Emily race to protectthe queen, they uncover long-buried secrets and the heartbreaking pastof a man whose need for revenge has destroyed his soul.Based on actual attempts to assassinate Queen Victoria,Inspector of the Deadbrilliantly merges historical fact with fiction, bringing a bloody chapter of Victorian England to vivid, pulse-pounding life.