When London Daily Globe editor Rollo Rolandson has to return to New York for three months he takes his star reporter, Poppy Denby, with him. Poppy is very excited to be working on the world-famous New York Times and looks forward to immersing herself in the arts and entertainment of Manhattan. Instead, she is allocated The Death Beat - journalese for obituaries - and tied to her desk.

But our intrepid young reporter has a nose for a story and when a European prince dies in a luxury penthouse apartment she starts to investigate. She follows a sordid trail involving illegal immigrants, forced labour, eugenics, and sexual scandals...and an unexpected ghost from her past.

From the speakeasies of Greenwich Village to the sweat shops of the Garment District, Poppy Denby seeks justice for the victims of a shameful crime.