Jack Swann is, on the surface, a typical gentleman of the Regency period; educated, literate and well-heeled. In his early thirties, he is single and attractive, with all the resources needed to live a privileged life. Haunted by the murder of his father fifteen years before - the perpetrators of which having never been caught - Swann has, however, turned his back on this world and has chosen instead to fight crime as 'The Regency Detective', unofficially connected with the Bow Street Runners. Arriving in Bath for the funeral of his mother, Swann finds several reasons for staying in the city; to protect Mary, his sister, from the charming but unscrupulous Lockhart; to find the 'Scarred Man' who might lead him to his father's killer; and to end the reign of terror by Wicks, the local criminal boss who sets out to have Swann assassinated.

When a teacher and pupil are found dead at an exclusive girls' school in Bath, Jack Swann, the Regency Detective, becomes involved in one of the most intriguing cases of his career. Is it a tragic accident, a suicide pact, or murder? As Swann attempts to solve the mystery, his every move is observed by unseen forces with differing motives for him to succeed or fail. Meanwhile, Swann continues to investigate his sister's unscrupulous fiancé, combat the local crime boss, and persist in his search for the Scarred Man, who may hold the key to the unsolved murder of Swann's father. But time is running out...