Four men sit down to a poker game. The first is a company commander, returned from the War under suspicious circumstances. The second is a humble soldier, although humble he certainly is not. The third is Lieutenant Robert Newham, and the fourth is dead before the games are over. It's a closed-room case, and Allie will need every scrap of wit and determination she has to solve the case before the police get involved. -The fourth book in the Alianna Winter series. Her earlier cases: 1.Death At Scarlet Leaf 2.The Merryweather Jewel Thefts 3.A House On The Hill Her later cases: 5.The Incident Concerning The Alsatian Dog 6.At The Plaza Majestic 7.Madame Juror 8.A Murder Shall Commence 9.The Impossible Poisoning 10.The Final Endgame

Alianna Winter is on the run. London is no longer a safe place for her to be. She, Newham, Isabel and Fisher have fled to Hettie's house in the countryside, in a hope that it will buy them more time before Stephenson catches up to them. But when Allie suddenly falls dangerously ill, it seems that nature might beat her potential assassins to it. Or is there something more man-made at work? -The ninth book in the Alianna Winter series. Her earlier cases: 1. Death At Scarlet Leaf 2. The Merryweather Jewel Thefts 3. A House On The Hill 4. Murder Is At Hand 5. The Incident Concerning The Alsatian Dog 6. At The Plaza Majestic 7. Madame Juror 8. A Murder Shall Commence Her later cases: 10.The Final Endgame The Toby Smart Spin-offs: What Makes A Detective What Breaks A Detective